


One Thousand Ways to See You

by Skittlethrill



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Black Mirror Episode: s04e04 Hang the DJ, Alternate Universe - Cyberpunk, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Space Opera, Brainwashing, Branding, Breaking the Fourth Wall, Detectives, F/F, F/M, Food Critic Hanzo Shimada, Genji Shimada is a Little Shit, God Hanzo Shimada, Journalist Jesse McCree, Lab Assistant Jesse McCree, M/M, Moira is a weeb, Multi, Not enough AUs, Prisoner Hanzo Shimada, Security Officer Jesse McCree, Serious fourth wall breakage, Street Racer Jesse McCree, Street Racing, Transformation, Virtual Reality, detective hanzo shimada, too many aus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2020-01-06 13:12:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 39,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18389111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skittlethrill/pseuds/Skittlethrill
Summary: “What if I tell you...gods were real?”“Beat me in the race and I’ll turn myself in. But if I beat you…I get to take you out on a date~”"We’re a rogue ship helping those in need. Apparently, that means you.”“Well I’ll be. Didn’t expect to see you here.”“...Twelve hours. That’s a bit…”“A bit short, yeah.”Five short stories about five very different Hanzos and McCrees.





	1. Don't be Afraid of These Thunderclouds

**Author's Note:**

> This is my entry for the McBigBang 2018-2019! Really hyped to have participated here. Hope you enjoy it, especially the ending ;) Huge thanks to pixelhanzo for beta reading.

The hallways were cold, white and empty. Jesse wasn’t sure what he was doing in a scientific research lab. He had graduated  _ history _ , not science. Then again this wouldn’t be his first rodeo where he was somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be.

His main concern was mostly what he was wearing. Really, Jesse? Your first day of work and you chose on wearing red flannel? How devoted would one have to be to their aesthetic to wear it to work?

The only sounds Jesse could hear were that of his own feet as he made his way down to the office of one Moira O’Deorain. 

Compared to the white walls of the laboratory, Moira’s office was strangely colourful. The woman herself had heterochromia, and her hair was a dazzling orange. With her yellow lab coat, she truly stood out amongst the whites and greys of everyone else. “Greetings,” She turned her gaze from a monitor to the new hire in front of her. “Jesse McCree, yes? Welcome.”

“H-hello.” Taking her outstretched hand, Jesse shook it, nervous. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am, and I just want to say much obliged for letting me on the team.”

“Don’t thank me, thank Dr. Vialli. He thought you would be best suited for the job, even if it does mean…” Sighing, the woman placed a hand on her head, brushing her already wild hair back. “More manual labor-based activities. He’s the one who started this, anyways.”

“Well, I don’t mind that. Every job has its heavy lifting, I suppose.” Jesse looked around the office, plastered with mementos and a large periodic table. His eyes focused on her calendar, depicting some anime character. “Besides, you’re still my supervisor.”

“I suppose that’s true.” The woman moved in front of the calendar, blocking it from his sight. “You should probably meet Dr. Ziegler at the medical lab, you’ll be helping her out. I’ll help you understand what exactly you signed up for after, what we study is highly classified.” 

Nodding, Jesse exited the office, searching along the halls for the medical lab. It was rather difficult to find, mostly because of how badly designed the building was. He even thought he could get lost here. But the medical wing finally presented itself to him, and he entered.

Angela Ziegler was almost unassuming in nature, wearing a white lab coat like everyone else. Her blonde hair was tied up in a ponytail, and she was busy at work, almost so that Jesse considered turning heel as so not to disturb her. Looking up from her tablet, however, her grim face turned to a smile. “You must be Jesse! Welcome.”

“Hello, Moira sent me here.You’re Dr. Ziegler, right?”

“That’s me.” She vigorously shook his hand, before guiding him over to the tablet. “You’ll be helping me out. Mostly with heavy lifting, since while you do have first aid training, you don’t exactly have a medical license...so you’ll be delegated to something like feeding.”

“Feedin’? Who?”

“You’ll see...for now, I’ll have to get you filled in for some administrative tasks.”

* * *

 

“You must understand, Jesse, that when I mean absolutely classified I mean  _ absolutely no one _ should be knowing about this. If word gets out about what Dr. Vialli’s grand idea was, the government may as well brand is criminals and kill us on sight.” Moira knelt down as the scanner looked over her eye, then fiddled with the instrument. “Kneel down and look directly into the green light. Don’t blink.”

Jesse did as followed. “I don’t get it. Why would the government be on our tails?”

“Well...if the public hears of it there would be an outrage. Not just some stupid ethics, something of a much larger scale.”

“If that’s the reaction, why do it in the first place?”

That was what silenced the Irish woman. The door slid open with a ping, letting the two in.

“I’m not entirely sure myself.” The scientist whispered to herself. 

The two made their way down a hallway, glass windows revealing the murky, underwater depths. At the end was another scanner with two armed guards.

“Why do we need this underground wing, anyways? Isn’t this supposed to be a research facility for different ways to generate electricity?”

“Calm yourself, Jesse. I can answer all your questions and more when we get to work.” Moira and Jesse scanned their eyes and input their codes, before entering the room on the other side.

“Those guards can shoot you if they think you’re acting suspiciously. Like asking too many questions.” She warned, once she was sure the doors had closed. “Fairly certain the first building is bugged too. Here, bugs don’t work...for reasons you’ll find out soon.”

The hallways stayed the same - cold, stark white, almost desolate. How many people worked here? As they proceeded through, Jesse couldn’t help but shiver. How far underground were they? There were more questions than he could think to ask.

The place where Jesse would be spending most of his time working was locked behind two different steel doors and sandwiched between a third, larger security door.

“Our subject is beyond Security Barrier Charlie.” Moira entered the small office. “Now, Jesse. I want you to listen to me very carefully. What I’m about to tell you is never to leave this office or the facility unless all hell breaks loose.”

Giving a terse nod, Jesse felt cramped in the office. It was like a maximum security prison with how many doors there were. What secrets did this place have to keep, anyways? Then again, when he thought about it making new methods of power generation there were plenty of ways for it to go wrong. In someone else’s hands it could be a weapon.

“What if I tell you...gods were real?”

There was a small pause for a moment, before Jesse chuckled a bit. “You sure this isn’t some sort of joke?” His laughter died down as he saw Moira’s serious face.

“I’m not joking, Jesse. Dr. Vialli managed to develop a way to...let’s be honest. He’s summoned a god in this very facility.”

“I’m sorry,  _ what _ ? A god? And...what exactly is he going to do with them?”

The redhead sighed, holding her hand to her face. “What do you think? He’s planning on using him as a living battery.”

It made sense, but the concept of even summoning a god was so outlandish that he was having trouble believing it so. “I don’t believe you.” He stammered out, not entirely sure of the words himself.

“I can’t blame you. I suppose you’ll have to really see it to believe it.” Moira gestured to follow him. “Come. It’s time for you to see just who we’re talking about.”

* * *

Behind Security Barrier Charlie was a room, a perfect cube 10 metres long in ever side, with two observation windows in the top corner. In the middle was a flat, metal table, with a man tied down, bound by his arms and legs with a bracket over his chest. The bindings had wires going out of them, thick and disappearing into the ground. The man was asleep or unconscious at the moment.

The person in question looked incredibly muscular and tall, and Jesse had to chastise himself for getting so distracted with how muscular someone looked. On his left arm was a very intricate tattoo, one of two dragons amidst storm clouds, snaking down his arm. His skin almost seemed to glow blue, some faint electrical aura around him.

“That, Jesse McCree, is Hanzo. He was the only one we could really, well, summon.”

“Summon? How did you manage to do that?”

“You ask too many questions. I don’t even know any of the answers! So we’ve summoned this god, and we try shooting him with a tranquilizer, and...it worked. I wanted to study exactly how a god could get  _ tranquilized _ in the first place but that stupid doctor wanted his stupid pet project. And here we are, looking over at his sick bondage fantasy.”

Jesse looked on, shocked at the sight. “How long has he been here?!”

“A few hours, actually. You were hired because of your expertise in religious history, but since the summoning worked, we won’t be needing that information. The tranquilizer was made for long term purposes. We’re not exactly sure if he needs to eat or drink, which is why you’re here. ”

There wasn’t much the brunette could do except stand and look on in awe. “Won’t he break through that?”

“Hopefully not. The alloy for that is downright unbreakable.” She gestured to a control panel at the side of the room, all lit up with buttons and switches, placing her hand on one certain switch that required a keyhole. “The switch to release him is kept under lock and key...a retinal scan, basically, only you, Angela and I can access.”

“I see. And that’s just for emergencies, right?”

“Of course. If you release him otherwise, you are good as dead. The public does  _ not _ need to know we have the god of who knows what stored in there powering the city.”

Jesse shivered at the thought. “So, what exactly do I have to do as my job now? You mentioned...heavy lifting, right?”

“Feeding duty and interviews, honestly. You don’t know how much this god will need.”

“I doubt it. I’m pretty sure y’all just caught a regular human.”

Moira side-eyed the intern, a puzzled look on her face. “Of course. A regular human glows blue.”

* * *

Hanzo awoke incredibly confused and groggy. His eyes blinked a bit, adjusting to the light. Where was he? The last thing he remembered was getting summoned and something hitting his neck.

He tried to move his arms but he realized they were tied down. The same was with his legs. What was going on? Perhaps his powers would be more effective.

Channeling his strength, he tried to shock the metal, but it was doing nothing. Confused, Hanzo tried again and again, unaware his power was getting siphoned off.

From the reaches of the observation window, Jesse nervously looked at the bound god. “What the hell? His eyes glow?”

“Yes, they do glow. We’ve noted several differences from him to a regular human being. Tell me, Jesse. Are dragons real?”

“Dragons? I don’t think so...why?”

“I’m not sure if you noticed, but he has...whiskers, of some sort. They match up with depictions of Japanese dragons. As well, horns. Do you think he’s still a regular human?”

“Okay, I get it! It’s just...this whole concept is really bizarre, alright? Can you forgive me for second guessing and making sure this isn’t some really big prank?

“Well, you can go in there right now and make sure.” Moira handed the man a lab coat and a clipboard. “Go on. Technically it’s part of your job. I’ll call the guards if he ends up smiting you.”

Jesse stared at the coat in his hands, no choice else but to confront the bound god in his den. “Thanks. Really comforting advice.”

* * *

Hanzo’s eyes drew to a panel in the wall as it opened - a door, actually. A human walked in, with tan skin and rather long, disheveled hair. 

“Mortal.” He commanded. “Release me at once, and I’ll consider sparing you when I smite this place to the ground.”

The man shook his head. “Nah. You’re Hanzo, right? Name’s Jesse McCree...I’m here to ask a few questions.”

“If you wanted to research me, there are much better ways than tying me down like a beast. Release me at once!”

“Like I said, no. I don’t really wanna lose my job here…”

Jesse almost paled as electricity almost burst from Hanzo’s eyes. “Your job won’t matter when you’re nothing but a pile of ash! In a year I’ll have forgotten you existed at all!”

The human recoiled as the god let out a roar, but nothing happened. Seeing the lack of electricity seemed to confuse Hanzo. What was going on?

“Nice try, but it’ll take more than that. First question...do you need to eat or drink?”

“I can if I want to.” Hanzo replied, his answer icy and venomous.

“Do you excrete?”

There was a bit of a pause on that one. “No.” Hanzo replied, a tiny bit less angry at that one. “What are your intentions?”

“Third question.” Jesse wrote down the answer with a pen. “Does anything increase your potential to create electricity?”

“What?” The god was once more confused. “What kind of question is-” He stopped himself, giving a long thought. He had to choose his words carefully if what he believed was true. “Yes, I suppose so.” He curtly replied. “Food, for example...letting me do my job would be another.”

“Like that’s gonna happen. I hope you’re okay with food. Okay...how long have you been alive?”

Hanzo’s aura flared as electricity briefly arced, only to be absorbed by the bands on his arms. “Do you think I will answer that question?!”

Jesse pursed his lips, writing down something. “Subject refuses to answer, then. Final question.”

Above, in the observation room, Moira glanced at the form she had given Jesse. “There’s only four questions, what is he doing?”

Angela merely shrugged.

“You from Tennessee? ‘Cuz you’re the only ten I see.” Jesse drawled, shooting a wink at his prisoner.

Moira sighed, a hand going to her head. Despite her supposed disbelief, there was still a tentative smile on her face. “Unbelievable. I can’t even fathom what is going through that stupid boy’s head, but by god, he is certainly something else.”

“I thought it was some good humour. He is going to be there for a long time.” Her Swiss companion pointed out, a chuckle barely escaping her lips.

“Well, I suppose that finishes it for today. Have fun tryin’ to break outta that. See ya.” He left the chamber.

“I’m from Japan, what-” Hanzo’s retaliatory cry was silenced by the slam of the door. “Hmph. I hope I never see you again.”

A few hours later, a blush of realization crossed his face and a surge of electricity was detected. On the drive home, Jesse couldn’t help but notice how stormy it had suddenly become.

* * *

“Howdy.” Jesse greeted as the door opened. “How’s it been?”

Hanzo looked at him, a bit bored and still very angry. “Release me, please. I have duties to attend to.”

Sighing, Jesse pulled up a chair and sat next to Hanzo. “Like I said, no can do. Besides, I’m the only one you’ll probably be seeing in the near future, so you might wanna get used to my face. Anything you want that  _ isn’t _ freedom or death?”

“Something to eat.” Hanzo mused, trying to think of something. “Tell me, what do you think is a food you could see me consume?”

“For all I know, you could eat animals whol-”

The electricity flared up again, crackling through the air, despite Hanzo knowing well enough there was no chance he could hurt anyone. “I am  _ not _ eating raw meat. Something humans can eat, or you may as well give me nothing.”

Jesse held up his hands, sheepish. “Alright, alright…” Who knew feeding a god would be this hard? “Uhh...fruit, I guess? We don’t have any here, but I can get you some tomorrow.”

“Fruit will do for now.” Hanzo sighed. “Is there anything else you are here for?”

“Not really...you got any siblings, actually? What were they like?”

“One. His name is Genji. He was...mostly insufferable. Good luck capturing him, he is a trickster god.”

“Younger trickster god brother, older brother with electric powers...say, you don’t happen to have an older sister, do ya?”

Hanzo seemed to understand what Jesse was getting at. “Good guess, but not good enough. Our similarities end there, I’m afraid, so you can stop worrying about doomsday. I must say, I didn’t expect that intelligence out of someone like you.”

“You want your fruit or not?”

* * *

 

The plastic bag was heavy as Jesse entered the containment chamber office. “Moira?”

Her review of the notes interrupted, the Irish native looked up. “Ah, hell-” Her eyes noticed the plastic bag. “Jesse, explain yourself. Why on earth are you feeding him if he doesn't produce waste?”

“Like I said, it just doesn’t feel right to have him all tied up. He asks for fruit, I think he should get it.”

There was a tense moment between the two, before Moira sighed and opened the door. “Fine. But there’s no need to mess about. Don’t forget to clean up after yourself.”

Hanzo was still there, tied up as usual and trying desperately to rub some semblance of feeling back into his limbs. His glowing eyes looked back to Jesse, his anger having dulled a bit. “I’m surprised you took up on your promise.”

“Heh, a lot of things ‘bout me usually surprise people. I’m just a bunch of questions waitin’ to be answered.”

“Answer my question, then. Why do you talk like a cowman?”

Hanzo’s question caught Jesse a bit off guard. “A...a what?”

“A cowman. You know, they wear wide brimmed hats. Talk with strange acc-”

The silence of the room was broken by Jesse’s guffaws, to the point where he had to lean against the wall. “You mean  _ cowboy _ ! Aw, I can’t believe this. You, a god, thought cowboys were called  _ cowman _ !”

“Silence!” Hanzo’s protests did nothing to quell Jesse’s laughter. “I can and will make your existence hell.”

Sighing, Jesse’s smile was admittedly pleasant to look at in the god’s eyes. In fact, Jesse seemed like a pleasant man, so why would he say something like that? Would he really be keeping on his promise once he broke out of here? 

“Heh, I’d like to see you try.” Jesse took out the fruits in the bag, putting each one in his hand at a time for the prisoner to look at. “You wanted fruits, right? Well, I got them right here. Which one do ya want?”

Hanzo looked over the fruits Jesse had laid out for him. An apple, a mango, an orange…

“Why did you think bringing a watermelon and a lime was a good idea?” 

Jesse shrugged. “I dunno...thought you might like ‘em? I don’t really know what you gods eat, so-”

“If any human can eat it, then I definitely can.” Hanzo flared up again. The crackling arcs of electricity were bolting around, and the lights began brightening. “Otherwise you’ll just have created a waste of food!”

“Alright, alright! I guess I’ll just cut you a slice of watermelon, then.” Setting the watermelon on the ground, Jesse took out a knife (also in the bag) and began cutting the fruit until he had a small slice. He took it and held it to Hanzo, the god taking a bite.

“This is humiliating.” Hanzo said after a moment of silence, and Jesse couldn’t help but agree.

“I hear ya. Watermelons are fer cuttin’ up and servin’ at a barbeque, or a picnic or somethin’ like that.” Another bite, and Jesse put the rind in the bag. “Is it good, though?”

There was another silent moment, before Hanzo finally spoke. “Yes, although this one is much sweeter. It reminds me of my childhood. In the summer, Genji and I would-”

“Wait, wait! You had a  _ childhood _ ?!”

“Of course. What, did you think I appeared out of thin air?”

Jesse looked at the observation windows, but they were blurry. “Uh...yeah?”

“Hmph. Fool. I used to be human, like you, a very long time ago.”

To Jesse, something wasn’t right about this information. “Then...how did you become a god?”

“My clan was...special. It was a different time back then. If someone desired, they could become a god. Live forever, controlling something of the world. Not many people wanted to.” Hanzo looked to Jesse, a stormy look in his eyes. “And I can see why, now. Considering that I am bound here, I am starting to realize I made a very bad decision.”

“Come now, y’ain’t gotta be like that. What did you do as a god, anyways?”

Hanzo looked to the ceiling of his chamber. “I control the weather, namely storms. If I am not present, which I currently am not, the world will become rife with them. Think of who is affected by the weather, Jesse, and release me.”

Jesse stood up, gathering all the fruits back into his bag and wrapping up the watermelon in sarin wrap. “Nice try. But we all know you’re just beggin’ to be set free.”

The only thing he heard were grumbles as he left the chamber. When he did, he found himself face to face with Moira, another unreadable expression painted on her face.

“Jesse. I know you’ve made spectacular progress, but I beg of you.  _ Never do that again. _ ”

“What, talkin’ with Hanzo?”

“No.” The woman shuddered as the cursed word exited her mouth like she was spitting something poisonous out. “ _ Y’ain’t. _ ”

* * *

 

The process of what Jesse had to do slowly became a routine. Arrive at work, talk with Hanzo, go to lunch, talk with Hanzo some more and then go home. The god would eventually warm up to him, slowly but surely.

Jesse had taken to bringing in the paper every morning and having Hanzo help him with the crossword, or reading him a funny article now and then. He had taken to doing them now, mostly since it was fun, but also to give Hanzo something to focus on lest he go insane.

Jesse read out the clue, stumped on what his answer was. “Transparent stone, blue in colour. A type of corundum, starts with an s-”

“Sapphire.” Jesse quickly wrote that down. “Seven spaces. Olympic sport played using targets and equipment once used for hunting.”

“Archery.” Hanzo quickly replied. “That...reminds me of something.”

The paper rustled as it was set down. “Really?”

“I remember back when Genji and I were children. We’d venture into the forest and pretend we were gods, and battle each other. I had a bow that I called my Storm Bow. No arrows. Embarrassing, I’m sure. I always said I’d wield it when I became a god.”

“That ain’t so bad. Much better than a revolver named “Peacekeeper”, that’s for sure.”

A knowing smirk came across Hanzo’s face. “Oh? Your life is no different than mine, then. Tell me, Jesse. What was your home like?”

Jesse felt his face fall as he remembered the days of his youth. “I…”

Noticing the hesitation, Hanzo tried to give his warden a comforting look. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“Nah. Long while ago I was in a gang. That’s why I had a gun called “Peacekeeper”. We’d drive around the Mojave, terrorizin’ good folks. Robbery. Some o’ the guys did worse.”

“I see. And how did you end up here?”

“We got caught. I was still young, so I got handed off to the foster system. Adopted by my dad, family friend thought I’d be good here so I didn’t really have a choice but to join up. What about you, where did you live?”

Hanzo stared off into space, lost in his memories. “A village upon the hill. Cherry trees blossom in spring. I...miss it dearly.”

* * *

The next morning, Angela and Jesse were the first inside the break room when Moira burst in, absolutely sopping wet.

“Good god, it’s pouring outside.” The redhead remarked as she put her lunch in the shared refrigerator. “By the way, Jesse. Dr. Vialli has made a very rare visit. He wants to speak with you...for some reason, I don’t know why.”

Jesse perked up as he heard his name. “Me? Alright then…” He stepped outside, finding himself face to face with a man who looked incredibly...sketchy was one way to describe it.

“Hello, Jesse.” He shook his hand. “Dr. Vialli. A pleasure to meet you. I see you’ve been making quite a lot of progress in learning about Hanzo.”

“Yeah, I guess so…” Jesse’s eyes seemed a bit downcast.  “I’ve mostly been talkin’ to him, thought he’d get a little lonely all locked up in that room.”

The man’s smile seemed a little forced. “I see. Well, I must say, splendid tactic.”

“T-tactic? Wha-”

“You’re probably thinking that talking with him with alleviate the boredom that comes with being a powersource. Well, sacrifices must be made Jesse, and I don’t want to risk losing this when we’ve just begun. I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but Hanzo can manipulate you if you’re too close to him.”

Jesse was absolutely speechless. There was nothing he could say that would help his position.

“I understand you want to be friendly and all, but you can’t let yourself be too close. He could make you do things under the guise of friendship. Maybe even convince you to let him go, and then what? That is why he’ll be gagged soon. I trust you won’t try and fraternize any longer.” The scientist turned heel and walked away, leaving Jesse alone.

* * *

 

The door opened once again, and Hanzo smiled upon seeing the other man. “Ah, hello, Jesse. What do you have in store for me today?”

His heart only sank further with the hidden object in his hands. “They...they don’t want me talkin’ with you anymore.”

“I see. What is in your hands, then? A weapon?”

“No, just a gag.”

Hanzo was silently cursing whoever was pulling at Jesse’s strings, before resigning himself to his fate. “Do what you must, then. I understand.” 

The act itself was simple but to Jesse it was like saying goodbye to someone he loved dearly. No more quips, or just being able to enjoy himself around the god. Just staring at someone he couldn’t talk with.

The next weeks were absolute torture for both Jesse and Hanzo. Hanzo’s powers were constantly getting drawn from him, and he had to see Jesse’s guilt-ridden face. Jesse was angry and frustrated and not being able to talk with Hanzo, and whenever he did speak, it was only to update Hanzo on what was going on with his life. No crosswords. Not even food to feed.

Angela took notice of Jesse’s demeanor, too. Jesse was no longer laid back and carefree, instead more somber and withdrawn. He had changed, and his attitude would definitely impact what little progress they were making on finding out what sort of being Hanzo was. She had to change this.

“Jesse.” She gestured for the young man to follow her, one day. “May I talk with you for a moment?”

“Sure.” He followed the taller woman down a hallway, until they arrived at the end with nothing but a storage room. 

“I know you’re not happy about Hanzo’s imprisonment. Frankly, neither am I.”

The man made a grunt of acknowledgement. “...And? Won’t we get caught for this?”

“Remember how Moira told us bugs wouldn’t matter? Hanzo’s electrical interference causes them to fail for some reason, but not computers or phones. We’re getting another scientist on the team to look at it...I think his name is Winston. You’ll like him, nice guy. I'll find some way to get him out, but for now we'll have to wait until he comes tomorrow.”

“...” Jesse was still silent, before sighing. “Fine. I’m in.” 

The storage room door suddenly opened, revealing the taller, more imposing form of one Moira O’Deorain. “You’re forgetting something.”

* * *

The office only held the three of them as they overlooked the subject in question.

“Unbelievable. Stupidity is not a right, Angela. At least have the gall to check the storage room first before discussing whatever great plan you have!”

“I’m...sorry.” The Swiss answered, staring down at her cup of coffee dejectedly.

“It’s fine. You’re lucky it wasn’t someone else in that room. Frankly, I would have reported the both of you, but…”

Angela’s knowing smirk was the telltale sign behind Moira’s reluctance, a secret she knew that could endanger Moira’s reputation. “I suppose you have no choice but to help us, then. Unless you want everyone here to know just how you sing the theme to-”

“That’s  _ enough  _ out of you. To free Hanzo, we have to break him out of his bonds. Retinal scan is easy enough to pass, but one of the guards has the key.”

The guards were unassuming to the eye, but Angela, Jesse and Moira all knew what they were capable of. As they walked down the passageway the next morning, they each ran the plan through their heads.

“Mornin’ to you three.” The guard gruffly replied to all three of them. Angela was carrying several folders, but suddenly she tripped over and fell, spilling them over the ground.

“Ah, I’m sorry!” Angela quickly scuttled over, picking up the papers. Taking sympathy, the first guard knelt down and helped her. This was Moira and Jesse’s time to strike as the older woman snatched the second guard’s radio, and Jesse curled his arms around his neck, sending him to the ground almost wordlessly.

Angela stood up with a sunny smile. “Thank you so much!” She then pulled out a dart gun - the same one used on Hanzo weeks ago - and shot the guard in the neck.

The two bodies were quickly cleared from the hall and locked in a storage hallway, the key now in their possession. Angela took the batteries out from their radios, rendering them unable to communicate, and the three rushed to the office.

“Speed is of the essence here.” Angela explained. “We don’t have time to waste.” However, they slowed down as they reached the observation room. “Oh no. We’re too late!”

Dr. Vialli was there, a grin on his face as he stared up at the three up in the room. “Good morning, you three! Splendid day it must be for you...shame you had to turn against me.”

“What are you doing here?” Moira ordered. “How did you know about this?”

“The thing about the bugs was a lie, O’Deorain. You’re a geneticist, not an electrician. Hanzo’s powers don’t interfere with electronics in any way. I had you fooled from the start.”

The Irish native was about to reply, but armed guards stormed into the complex. Angela and Jesse shut the door, and the three scientists used everything they could to blockade the door. 

“You can’t delay the inevitable, you know.”

Angela passed the key to Jesse. “You know what to do.”

The key was turned and Jesse’s eye was scanned, releasing Hanzo from his bonds. 

Little known to any of them, over the few weeks, Hanzo had been saving his powers up, charging for something that would destroy the entire facility, but now? Now was a perfect time. He quickly flew into the air, and brought down his wrath on the one person in his chamber until the scientist was no more than ash.

He was free, finally. He could break out of this place. He looked up at the observation window, where Jesse and his colleagues were. They were in trouble, and part of Hanzo wanted to let them get what they deserved and return to his realm.

_ No. _ Jesse was the one light in the darkness of this period, the few months he had spent here trapped in endless boredom, the man was always there.  And he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t felt some sort of attraction to the man. At first, he had chalked Jesse’s charm to nothing more than useless flirts, but Hanzo had realized he rather enjoyed the cowboy’s humour and in general, his visits.  He scaled the wall in no less than a second and shattered the window, allowing him entry into the room. 

“Hanzo! What’re you doing?” 

“Stay right here.” And suddenly, the three scientists fell to the ground, temporarily paralyzed with electric fields he had shot out from his fingers. Dashing at inhuman speeds, the god proceeded to tear through the guards like paper, until there was nothing left but ashes and empty helmets.

His three saviours were picked up and hauled out in one arm, his other striking down anyone in his path as he carried them out of base, until they were in the main entrance.

“Free at last…” Stepping into the torrent of rain outside, the three watched as the man stood there, ignoring everything outside of him, even the rain pouring down his skin.  After what felt like an eternity to both parties - but really, it was just a few minutes - he held his hand out to the sky in a fluid motion, slowly spreading his fingers out until the day looked like there had never been a storm in the first place. Grey clouds still dotted the sky, but Hanzo beckoned them to his position. “You may want to be outside for this.”

Jesse, Moira and Angela stepped out, looking at the sky in wonder, then to the building.

With a thunderous roar, Hanzo reached his hand out to the sky, bringing it down. A flash of light blinded Jesse, and he hadn’t realized that his ears were ringing until he found himself sitting on the ground, dazed. A bolt of lightning had struck the base, so enormous that it had decimated the entire complex. Finding the ground, Jesse managed to get on two feet, walking steadily towards Hanzo.

“Hanzo, I...I’ve been meaning to say this for a bit now. I know you might not think the best of me for not letting you do your job-”

“I know what you are going to say, Jesse. I forgive you. You had no way of knowing what you were getting into.”

“I love you.” Jesse stammered out, staring Hanzo in the eye.

Hanzo stared back, trying to take in those three words. Love. Did he love him back?

Without thinking, Hanzo reached around Jesse, and kissed him. It was difficult at first from the height difference, but somehow Jesse managed to level with the storm god. Hanzo knew exactly what he was doing in this regard.

And when they broke, Hanzo hugged Jesse tightly to his chest. “This may take a moment.” And suddenly, he took off, leaving Moira and Angela in the parking lot.

“Well, that just happened.” The blonde remarked, before the two turned to the sound of a car door slamming. Just fresh on location, a rather large man with a banana half in his mouth looked in shock at the ruins of the research facility, one hand running through his dark hair and trying to adjust his glasses.

Moira turned to the new arrival. “Dr. Winston? Welcome. Please, excuse what you’ve just witnessed. You know how Fridays are.”

* * *

Jesse opened his eyes as Hanzo stopped. It had felt like they were flying for a long time, but it probably hadn’t taken longer than a few minutes. “Where...am I?” He asked, as the god set him down on what appeared to be solid ground.

“This is my home. My realm, up in the sky.” Hanzo’s realm almost seemed to resemble a quaint, Japanese castle, small and decent enough to maintain some sense of grandeur. “It is good to return home.”

“But why am I here? Ain’t I mortal? Hanzo, I know you love me and all, but I grow old, and eventually I’ll die! I wanna be here with you, but-” The man’s protests were hushed as a glowing blue finger was raised to silence him.

“I have the solution.” Once again, Hanzo kissed him, slowly siphoning his own power into his lover’s body.

Jesse’s eyes had been closed as he savoured the kiss, but he hadn’t even realized the changes that had happened to his body. His skin was now a glowing, almost fiery red, and like Hanzo he had attained a much more muscular stature. Curled, almost sharp horns grew out of his head but underneath his hat, and he was certain there was a tail underneath too.

“I...what did you do to me? Why?” He asked, mostly out of awe.

“A gift. You were the only one who visited me, Jesse. It made me realize how much you cared and loved me that you planned all of this to help me escape.” A flash of light, and a bow materialized in his hands. “Come, please. Be a god, and rule over this realm with me.”

The newly made god took Hanzo’s hand, and in his other appeared a revolver. “Peacekeeper and Storm Bow make their appearances.” He chuckled. “Still…’m afraid I got a lot of gettin’ used to. Not every day I get to become a god of...whatever I am.”

“Do not worry, then. We’re immortal, are we not? We have all the time in the world.” 


	2. You Have the Right to Remain Right Here With Me

_ Tuesday, April 9, 2058. 1941 hours. _

The red lights were glaringly bright as they flashed around. A young man with green hair burst through the exit doors, paying no mind to the alarm.

Panting, he collapsed against the side of the car. “Everything’s going to be fine. Everything will go according to plan, there’s no way it can go wrong…” The door was opened and he slid into the driver’s seat, starting the car up. “I have to do this.”

The car began driving away from the water plant, over bridges and through wastelands, until eventually would reach its destination.

“Everything’s going to be okay, Genji. You aren’t abandoning, you’re simply...leading him someplace better! The plan is flawless, there’s no way he’ll fail.”

As the car adjusted into self-driving mode, he took out his phone. _Hello, Genji Shimada,_ the screen read, with the white _37_ next to his name Rank 37. He’d never get higher, and he never seemed to get lower. He would never be able to take a train, or apply to the educational facility he wanted to go to. If he went any lower, Hanzo would go down with him. He couldn’t bear that fact. He didn’t want Hanzo to suffer, Hanzo had to suffer enough of his presence for too long..

As the car sped off, the phone clattered onto the pavement, the screen fractured before eventually flickering out. Where he was going, he wouldn’t need that piece of trash anymore.

And after that? Well, even if Hanzo fails, there’s always other worlds to explore.

* * *

_ Tuesday, April 9, 2058.  2134 hours. _

“Welcome home, Hanzo Shimada.”

The door slid open, and Hanzo stepped into the front room of the apartment he and his brother shared, exhausted from having to investigate criminal cases. The lights slowly faded on as he headed towards his room, bathing him in a golden light. However, as he turned the corner to where his brother’s room would be, he noticed it was abnormally dark. No glowing, coloured lights from his gaming setup or anyone in his bed.

“...Genji?” He asked the silent air around him. “Are you there?”

There was no response, and he checked every room to make sure his brother was even physically present, but no sign showed up. 

_ “Odd. _ ” He thought to himself.  _ “He’s probably just out. I’ll scold him later.” _

“Athena.” He spoke to the smart home assistant, ever present in all rank 20 apartments. “I will be going to sleep soon. Please track any communications from Genji.”

“Understood.” The female voice replied. 

In the morning, the blinds slowly rose up as soft jazz played in the background. Grumbling, Hanzo slipped off the covers, stretching as he stretched his feet on the warm floor. He entered the kitchen, where breakfast would be ready for him, waiting in the refrigerator.

Genji’s room was empty as ever, with no indicator that he had ever returned. No smell of ramen or snacks, no traces of Nano Cola in the sink or the recycling compactor. No new texts on his phone, no messages left for him.

What could have happened? Genji was the type to go clubbing at night, but what if he was lying in an alley somewhere, bleeding to death? Tied up in some warehouse?  

“Athena, what is the status on Genji?”   
The screen on the refrigerator lit up. “Genji Shimada has not returned home since leaving last night. His location chip is currently disabled-”

“ _ WHAT?!” _ Enraged, Hanzo forgot all semblance of worrying over his brother. “Athena, contact the police, I have to file a missing persons report!”

“No need. Genji has already been reported as missing when his location chip was disabled. I suggest you take a few moments to calm down, as your heart rate has increased.”

Taking a deep breaths, the man tried his best to calm himself. “Very well. Then, Athena. What do I do?”

“You have one new message from Commander Petras. Would you like to open it?”

Hanzo nodded, and the face of his commander appeared on screen. 

“Detective Shimada, my sincere condolences on your brother’s disappearance. Genji is a kind and truly bright soul.”

_ False, _ Hanzo thought in his mind.  _ He is the most annoying, stupid, insufferable human being I know of, and I do not think I want it any other way. _

“I know your brother means a lot to you, so for now I’m moving you to be in charge of your brother’s case. Don’t worry, your previous case will be in good hands. However, I should warn you - the case likely has relations with underground rebels to the government. Because of this, the government is giving incentive - you have 24 hours to find evidence to progress the case. If you find a lead, then your brother’s rank will be...improved, to say the least.”

That caught the investigator’s attention.

“We know your brother’s been trying to raise his statistics, but a few...strokes of bad luck have gotten him staying at 37. If we publicize his case afterwards, he might be happy to see himself going up. The countdown starts tomorrow, as time is of the essence. Good luck.”

* * *

 

_ Wednesday, April 10, 2058. 0843 hours. _

The first thing Hanzo did at work after two days was search on his computer’s database the last activities of Genji Shimada.

He knew Genji was an avid gamer and streamer, but a quick search on the streaming website revealed his last scheduled stream was two weeks before his disappearance, but he often had daily streams.

Odd. Hanzo always saw Genji in his room, even for the past two weeks. Pulling a notebook out, Hanzo wrote down two points.

**_Absent Streamer:_ ** _ Genji streams every day, but has been absent for the past two weeks. _

**_Genji’s Room:_ ** _ Genji is constantly in his room playing games, and has been for the past two weeks. _

He quickly switched to another program - one that tracked citizens based on their location chip. It was a bit unethical, and Hanzo knew he was being tracked too, but if it meant finding Genji, he wouldn’t mind setting aside what he held regarding privacy.

_ Search Query: Genji Shimada. _

_ Citizen Number: 34184 _

Pulling the profile up, Hanzo looked up Genji’s biometrics. Still alive. Daily intake was recording a low level of Vitamin C - typical, considering his diet on ramen and and soda. 

**_Biometrics:_ ** _ Genji has been staying alive somehow - wherever he is, he is being fed. _

He pulled up Genji’s last known location. With the given coordinates, it was a simple act of typing them in and searching it up.

**_Water Plant:_ ** _ Genji was last seen at Northmount Water Plant. What was he doing there? _

* * *

_ Wednesday, April 10, 2058. 1014 hours. _

The water plant looked unassuming as any other plant, but Hanzo got chills being there. He knew Genji was last seen there. Of course, that wasn’t it - the entire plant was now ruined, burnt down. Suspiciously, on the same day Genji disappeared.

**_Water Plant Damage:_ ** _ The water plant was burnt down on the day of Genji’s disappearance. Did he have something do do with it? _

Looking up at the security cameras, it was a relief to see the camera wasn’t damaged. He’d have to see if he could get a copy of the footage from the security room - if it even existed.

He approached the head investigator. “Greetings. Do you know where the security room for this plant is?”

“Yeah.” She pointed to one part of the plant that was still, surprisingly, intact. “Security room looks like it hadn’t been touched. Dunno why. Right now we’re taking a look at the footage, but you can get a copy too.”

A few minutes later, the investigator returned to the police station with a copy of the footage. He’d have to rewind a bit. As he settled into his computer, he loaded the footage and selected the file with the day of his brother’s disappearance on it - interestingly enough, the last file. The footage was blank, showing nothing but the lights of the plant as they shone onto the rain. The same thing was true for most of the cameras, but one was different - it had a white hovercar in front of it, and a man stepped out. Hanzo paused the footage, trying to see if he could match the man’s face to anything, but the resolution was too low.

After a moment of fast forwarding, the Japanese man finally found the segment with Genji. He was hard to miss with his ridiculous green hair. He watched as he exited the plant, running past flashing red lights, bumping into the car. Without hesitation, he got into the car and drove off.

**_Mysterious Figure:_ ** _ Someone drove a car to the water plant, and Genji got in it to escape. Why? _

Wait, the hovercar likely still had its license plate. He could use that! Rewinding back to the car, he wrote down the car’s license plate number. He had his lead. Typing the numbers into his registry, the profile of a woman showed up.

“Mei-Ling Zhou.” He read aloud. “Climatologist.” Reading her profile, however only made no sense. The figure in the video didn’t match her height - while they seemed a bit taller than the car, Mei was no taller than five and a half feet. 

He would have to look into her more. He had found his lead.

**_Mei-Ling Zhou:_ ** _ The owner of the white van Genji got into. _

* * *

 

_ Wednesday, April 10, 2058. 1804 hours. _

Mei-Ling Zhou had been in the middle of a book when Hanzo knocked at her door the next day with a 72 hour deadline on his heels. Not a great source of literature in his opinion - some harlequin romance novel about falling in love with a wild criminal. 

“Yes, that is my car,” The woman explained. “But I didn’t do it! You see, it was on Monday when it was stolen.”

“That was three days ago.” Hanzo concluded. “Were you there when it was stolen? If you were, I may have to take you down to the station. Use the memory recaller.”

Mei nodded. “I got a pretty good look at the man who took it…”

“And what were you doing Tuesday evening?”

“I was at the bookstore. I was going to see if there were any new books I would be interested in.”

A solid alibi, then. It was obvious Mei didn’t do it - just from her demeanor, she seemed relatively harmless. Even if she was hiding anything, the fact that she was under surveillance that night was enough to clear her name. A quick visit to the store should confirm her.

**_Mei’s Alibi:_ ** _ Mei was in a bookstore when Genji disappeared. Her van was carjacked. _

 

* * *

 

_ Chat Log: 20:28 _

 

**Hanzo Shimada:** Genji. 

**Hanzo Shimada:** I may be crazy for texting you when they found your phone already, but let me pretend.

**Hanzo Shimada:** It’s almost impressive how much I miss you, despite the fact that you are the most lazy person I know.

**Hanzo Shimada:** You have no idea how confusing your case has become.

**Hanzo Shimada:** Did you go off on your own? Were you forced? 

**Hanzo Shimada:** If someone did this to you, I will guarantee they have hell to pay.

* * *

As he sent the last text, the car carrying both of them arrived at the station. Hanzo turned off the self-driving mode, parking the car and heading inside. After a few minutes of profiling and some other processes, the memory recaller was finally procured.

“This won’t hurt, will it?” The woman asked.

“Only a bit.” Hanzo wiped the side of her forehead with an antiseptic wipe. He took out a small plug, and softly inserted it into the spot. Mei winced, shutting her eyes.

The plug lit up, showing it to be in sync with her memories, and Hanzo opened the device, his eyes focusing on the old screen. “Not to worry, the process for memory recalling won’t take long. Now, what were you doing that Monday night? Tell me everything you remember.”

“Hm, well…”

* * *

_ Monday, April 8, 2058. 2216 hours. _

_ The parking garage lights were dim, but Mei didn’t mind it. She was a Rank 20, she would be safe. _

_ As she approached the white van, though, she couldn’t help but feel as if she was being watched by someone. Her pace quickened, and she quickly unlocked the door and opened it.  _

_ And that was when it happened. Someone wearing a ski mask jumped out from behind a pillar, pinning her down. Mei immediately turned to her fight or flight response, struggling against them. With a shriek, she tried kicking, only for her assailant to clamp hands over her mouth and pin her legs down with their knees. _

_ Her arms were still open, though, and she tore at the ski mask, ripping it off. The man underneath it had wild, blonde hair with thick eyebrows and ashy, soot-covered skin.  _

_ Mei managed to stun him enough to punch him in the stomach, before trying to get into the car. However, her attacker wasn’t finished. He grabbed at her shoulders, throwing her against the pillar. The climatologist retaliated, throwing a punch right into his face. _

_ And that was when he broke out a weapon - a cricket paddle, lying in front of the car and out of her sight. He swung it, sending Mei to the ground. She could only watch as he snatched her keys, before scampering back into the van and driving off. _   
  


* * *

“I do remember he was constantly apologizing, even if he was attacking me. I think he was forced to steal it.”

Hanzo closed the recaller, satisfied with the recording. “I’ll keep that in mind. We’ll contact you when your van is returned.” Standing up, he cautiously removed the plug from her head. As he got up to leave the room, he stopped for a second.

“And I must say, you have a very nice right hook.”

**_Attacker:_ ** _ Mei was attacked in a parking garage late at night. Her attacker can be recognized. _

He left a flattered Mei in the room. The moment she got home she had a very important call to make.

* * *

 

_ Thursday, April 11, 2058. 0956 hours. _

Using the memory footage, Hanzo managed to get a good look at Mei’s attacker. With his new lead completed in record time, his next deadline was extended to one week.

He loaded the image onto the computer and loaded up a website. Uploading it, the site began processing and searching for any matches. Who could this man be? Was he the one behind Genji’s disappearance?

After about 15 minutes of waiting and obsessively checking on Genji’s biometrics, a matching profile was found - Jamison Fawkes. Chemical engineer at Crusader Securities, developing weapons. Rank 39 after several run ins with the law.

“Hm…”

But again, there were too many inconsistencies that would pin him as the mysterious figure who delivered the van. Jamie’s height was 6’6, and he had a lanky frame. Furthermore, he was always walking with a slouch, while it appeared the mysterious figure was standing straight. 

As luck would have it, Jamie’s stunt had landed him in the police station for a few days, which allowed for Hanzo’s quick interview. The first thing the Japanese man noticed about this lanky man was the smell. He stunk of ash and burning rubber.

“You stole the car of Mei-Ling Zhou earlier this week. Do you have anything to say about that?”

The man in front of him was oddly silent. “I was forced to!” He finally admitted. “Someone found out what I was doing in my spare time…they texted me and told me to steal it.”

“Blackmail?” Hanzo glared at the man. “My brother is missing because of your actions.”

“You don’t understand! These are pictures that could throw the entire city into chaos! I could be exiled-” 

“Then show me the logs. Your secret will be safe with me...for now.”

Timidly, Jamie slid his phone over the table. An older, slower model, typically given to low Rank 30s with a yellow case. Now unlocked, Hanzo noticed the most recent chat log from an unknown number.

* * *

_ Chat Log: 18:01 _

**UNKNOWN:** Hey.

**UNKNOWN:** I know who’s been naughty.

**Jamison Fawkes:** oi wtf whos this

**UNKNOWN:** Someone who knows just what you’ve been up to.

**UNKNOWN:** Interesting choice of partner, by the way.

**Jamison Fawkes:** uhhh not sure what you’re up to

* * *

The following pictures sent made Hanzo gasp with surprise. Photos of Jamison, with a larger, much older man. But not just anyone - it was Reinhardt Wilhelm, the CEO of Crusader Securities. One of the most benevolent members of the inner council circle. The pictures became much more explicit after that, and he had to avert his eyes.

“Impossible.” He started, before trying to keep silent. Not because of the relationship, but these were taken in Reinhardt’s own office.

And then after that was a video. Hanzo didn’t play it in fear of its contents.

 

* * *

 

**UNKNOWN:** Is that proof enough?

**Jamison Fawkes:** OI WHAT THE FUCK HOWD YOU GET THOSE

**Jamison Fawkes:** DELETE THOSE RIGHT NOW OR ILL BLOW YOU TO SMITHEREENS

**Jamison Fawkes:** PLEASE IM BEGGING YOU

**UNKNOWN:** Good luck finding us. These pictures and videos will be displayed on every holoscreen in the city unless you do one thing.

**Jamison Fawkes:** okay fine what is it ill do anything

**UNKNOWN:** Steal the car of this woman.

**UNKNOWN:** latest.jpg

**Jamison Fawkes:** did you just type in latest.jpg

**UNKNOWN:** Oops. Hold on.

**UNKNOWN:** latest.jpg

**UNKNOWN:** That should be better.

**Jamison Fawkes:** how am i supposed to carjack a 20 i mean shes a cute sheila and all but what if i can’t?

**UNKNOWN:** Then the city will know you have a daddy kink. Or a grandpa kink, either works.

**UNKNOWN:** You have until midnight to deliver the car to the Pacifica Mall.

**Jamison Fawkes:** NOW?!?!?!

**UNKNOWN:** Mei’s van is in the parking garage of the Kingston Complex. I recommend you prepare.

**UNKNOWN:** Unless you’re an exhibitionist too.

* * *

“...I’m more surprised you held interest in Reinhardt Wilhelm if anything.” Hanzo remarked. 

“Sh-shut up…”

“I do have to ask you one thing.” Jamison perked up. “When you were...with Reinhardt, were you two the only ones in the room?”

“Yeah! We made sure there weren’t any bugs or anythin’ with us!”

Hanzo wrote some things down in the book. 

**_Blackmail:_ ** _ Jamison Fawkes was blackmailed by someone to steal Mei’s car. _

**_Pictures:_ ** _ Jamison claims he and Reinhardt were the only ones in the room. So how were those pictures taken? _

“You delivered the car to the Pacifica Mall, correct? At which store?”

“It was the Panama Blossom Cafe. Very east end.”

“And did you see anyone there?”

Jamison nodded. “I did...but they were dressed as a cowboy.”

The investigator narrowed his eyes. “Do you take me for a fool?”

“I’m serious! I couldn’t see their face, but it was a guy. And he had the hat, and this weird cloak thing, and-”

Hanzo raised his hand up, and the lanky man immediately quieted down.

“Did he do anything?”

“...He told me ‘Thank you kindly’, told me to hand the keys over. He said they’d keep the pictures in case they needed me ever again.”

“That is enough. Thank you for your time.”

As he turned around and left, Jamison looked up at him and smiled. “Oh, just you wait and see…”

**_Panama Blossom Cafe:_ ** _ Jamison delivered the car to the Panama Blossom Cafe. He reported a figure dressed as a cowboy in the area who took the car from him. _

* * *

 

_ Thursday, April 11, 2058. 1131 hours. _

The cafe at first glance was unassuming. The rush for lunch hadn’t started yet, which was perfect. And even if he couldn’t come, he still had two weeks to get the next piece of evidence. Hanzo wasn’t even concerned about the reward perks - so far the Hanzo had received a pay raise, lowered ticket costs on trains and buses, a scholarship for Genji to get into university for game design, all for a job well done. All he wanted was Genji back.

It appeared the government was spoiling him. He’d thank them later when his brother was back home. From his phone, he checked on Genji’s biometrics. Still in the green, still alive.

“Greetings.” He said to the barista. “Hanzo Shimada, investigator with the police department. I need to speak with your manager.”

The manager was completely willing to let Hanzo take a look at their router. He opened up his laptop, typing in a website before logging in the router username and password that the manager had given him. 

His mouse went to the attached tab marked “Connected Devices History”, and scrolled down to Monday, late at night. If his theory held true, the phones of the mysterious figure and Jamison would have connected to the cafe’s free wifi. Through the site he just visited, he would be able to match the devices connected to the profile of Jamison, and then to the mysterious figure.

And there it was. Under  _ Jamison Fawkes _ was the profile of one  _ Jesse McCree.  _ The exact same time.

**_Jesse McCree:_ ** _ The man who picked up the car from Jamison Fawkes. What is his hand in my brother’s disappearance? _

* * *

_ Thursday, April 11, 2058. 1304 hours. _

Jamie wasn’t kidding when he said Jesse resembled a cowboy. The man’s hair was long and brown from his picture, with a bushy beard to match. And even worse, he was wearing a cowboy hat, with several bullets on top.

Jesse McCree. Rank 49, one of the lowest ranked citizens because of how outspoken he was against the government. Typical, people in Rank 40 were always prone to crime or just up and disappearing.

The more he looked over his profile the more similar he seemed to the mysterious figure at the water plant. Unlike Mei and Jamie, his height seemed to match up, and so did his built - stocky and a bit muscular, unlike Mei’s more chubby frame and Jamie’s lithe body and slouch.

“How does this man even live like this?” Hanzo asked himself, stroking his goatee. For a high Rank 20 like him, Hanzo managed to enjoy a rather normal life - sure, it was annoying when he was blocked from Rank 10 only sites, or if he was prioritized less at hospitals, but that was bound to happen. 

He wasn’t even sure if Rank 40s were even remotely  _ allowed  _ in certain areas of the city, Hanzo had known clean streets and shops all his life, sky dotted with monorail tracks and glass walkways. In his years of experience, not once had he actually stepped into anything past a Rank 30 residence, and even then it didn’t seem all too bad.

It appeared that Hanzo’s first visit to anything remotely beyond Genji’s rank would be to Jesse McCree. The address listed was in a district far from the city centre, filled with towering, run down buildings. Cables and laundry lines dotted the gap between apartment buildings. It was immensely claustrophobic to Hanzo as his car pulled up to the exact location of the townhouse Jesse lived him.

Stepping up, Hanzo rang the doorbell, but no answer came. He waited a few minutes, but nothing. Jesse was home, wasn’t he? His car was in the driveway - a pickup truck, more suited to the manual laborers stuck in Rank 40.

It appeared Jesse wouldn’t be home for a while, so Hanzo looked around for any nearby witnesses, before sticking a tracker to Jesse’s pickup truck and setting it so it would notify him if Jesse was on the move. He had three weeks to wait for Jesse to make his move.

* * *

 

_ Friday, April 12, 2058. 2313 hours. _

It was a day before Jesse finally used his truck, and Hanzo quickly tracked him down as he drove through the districts, until he finally arrived at a block of the city that was strangely deserted.

Jesse had gotten out of his truck, and there was a crowd gathered on the sidewalks, cheering him on. In front of one store was a makeshift stage with speakers, a woman with red hair testing out a microphone. The man disappeared behind the stage, leaving Hanzo in the crowd.

“Alright!” Her voice pierced the crowd, quieting it down. “Welcome back, racers, my name is Emily Wright! Last week was a close one, but this week will certainly be wild!”

Hanzo tried his best to reach the front of the stage. 

“Now to introduce our racers! First off, this terrifying duo started off last year with a bang! With their hog made of nothing but scrap, meet Junkrat and Roadhog!”

Two men entered the stage, the crowd going wild as they rallied them on. One was lithe and thin, a strange scarecrow mask on his face, shirtless and wearing a pair of torn cargo shorts. The investigator’s eyes widened as he saw what appeared to be explosives strapped to his chest. The other man was gigantic, and had white hair tied into a bun, with a gas mask obscuring his face as well.

“Next up, they’re the lean, mean machine. This omnic’s snark makes up for any poor performance. Fast as their namesake, give it up for Lynx Seventeen!”

An omnic with two antennae walked onto the stage, dressed in a green jumpsuit. “Pleasure’s mine.”

“Next up! This gal’s short, brown haired and loves long walks on the beach. In the blink of an eye, she’s across the finish line! My girlfriend who  _ still needs to do the dishes, _ ” The crowd laughed at Emily’s little joke, and Hanzo even found himself smiling a bit. “T-Racer!”

A short woman with a racing helmet hopped onto the stage, waving to everyone. “Hiya! And Emily, I  _ swore _ I’d wash the dishes after the race!”

“Sure, and my hair’s green. Speaking of, up next, one of our newcomers and the biggest anime fan you’ll ever know, Green Sentai!”

“Green Sentai arrives!” Striking a pose, the helmeted racer earned a few cheers and laughs. “Henshin!”

Genji was a huge anime fan too. Those two would look great together, Hanzo thought. It only meant he had to focus more.

“This gal’s the queen of ice! Winner of the 2056 Grand Prix, give it up for Frostbite!”

A short, woman wearing thick winter gear walked onto the stage. She resembled Mei, but Hanzo couldn’t see her face. And there was also the matter of the thick winter jacket, too.

“Oooh, I get cold just lookin’ at ya!” Junkrat hollered from across the stage.

“Then you should look somewhere else!” Frostbite retorted, crossing her arms and looking away. Her icy demeanor seemed to be the norm.

“Our second last contestant is the husband of our Motorcycle Prix champion Reaper! Once a former vigilante, this soldier’s turned in his tactical visor for a racing helmet! Stunt Rider: 76!”

What kind of a name was that? Nonetheless, everyone seemed to go wild as a man who looked like he belonged in a motorcycle race appeared on stage. What was with all these characters?

“You know his name. Last but not least, our champion of last year’s race!” Smoke began filtering on the stage, giving Emily a mysterious aura. “The best shot in the West, this cowboy’s rode his way into our hearts! Jesse McCree!”    
  


The crowd had gone wild, and there he was. A smug smile was on his face as he rolled the cigarillo in his mouth. That was the man who was behind Genji’s disappearance. He knew where Genji was hidden away. 

Before he could stop himself, he ran to the front. “You!” He yelled, seething with rage. “Where is Genji?”

Everything had quieted down as the crowd all stared at this man who was too well dressed for this part of town, who carried himself differently. He was new.

“Say what now?” Jesse asked. 

Hanzo took out his badge. “I’m an investigator with the police department. I need to take you in for questioning.”

That was all it took before the crowd started laughing, and Hanzo could feel his face turn red. Jesse quickly snatched the microphone from Emily. “Hold up, no need to laugh. Now, Hanzo, I’m willin’ to turn myself in, because you and I know both know why I’m here. But how about we make a deal?”

“Very well. What is your deal?”

“Beat me in the race and I’ll turn myself in. But if I beat you…” Jesse winked down at the man. “I get to take you out on a date~” This earned a couple of ‘Ooooh’s and whistles from the crowd.

“I accept.” Hanzo climbed onto the stage at the urging of Emily.

“O-okay...well, surprise! New racer...what’s your name?” Emily gave the microphone to the new addition.

“Hanzo.”

“Give it up for Hanzo!”

* * *

 

Hanzo sighed to himself behind the wheel of his car. How had he gotten here, so low? He didn’t want to be here...but then again, he’d go to the lengths of the earth if it meant Genji came back. Even driving his car like a race car. 

Technically, though, his car was certainly capable of speed, but there was no telling what the other racers were capable of.  As Emily walked into the middle of the “raceway” (just another empty city street), she carried with her two flags.

“Three laps, first one to win gets five hundred dollars!” 

Five hundred dollars? That wasn’t that much, how bad were these people getting paid? Or was the thrill of victory enough? Hanzo didn’t have time to dwell on that, because the crowd was counting down.

“Five...four...three...two…”

The engines were revving and feet were on the pedal. Hanzo took a deep breath. He was street racing for Genji.

“...one...GO!”

Sparklers and firecrackers went off, and Hanzo pressed forward, guided by the navigational holograms at each corner. He was doing quite decent, but but not good enough. At each turn he found himself sliding and drifting, each racer overtaking him one by one. Neon lights streaked past, and several passerby stopping by out of interest.

And Jesse? Who knew where he was?

Hanzo pressed harder, the speedometer display going higher and higher until he was certain was breaking the law. Hanzo Shimada, straight arrow and officer of the law, arrested for speeding. How ironic.

Countless twists and turns later, Hanzo finally arrived at the finish line, dismayed to find that he had finished in second last place - only behind Lynx Seventeen, and even then Lynx had blew their tire. And stepping up onto the podium? Jesse McCree, in first place, next to the duo of Junkrat and Roadhog on his left, and Frostbite on his right.

The laughter and boos was enough to make Hanzo redden with embarrassment, but the other racers gave him comforting looks.

“You’ll do better next time, kid. Don’t worry, we’ve all had those times.” Stunt Rider: 76 patted Hanzo’s back. But it wasn’t a comfort, because winning to Hanzo didn’t matter. He had to beat Jesse.

“Last place does not matter. All I care about is,” He pointed right at Jesse, who was celebrating his win. “Jesse McCree and what he holds.”

But, the cowboy stepped down from his podium, approaching Hanzo. “Don’t forget our deal, Hanzo. You got a date with me at the Deadeye Cafe tomorrow.”

* * *

Hanzo relaxed in his flat, looking over the evidence so far. So far he wasn’t making good progress, but he still had three weeks. A consulting with Emily revealed four more races, with the last one being an hour close to the deadline.

Then again, did he really have to race Jesse? Who was he to humiliate him so, to exploit his brother all for a good race? 

One more look at Genji’s biometrics - again, same area that gave him comfort, and thankfully his Vitamin C levels had become normal. His calcium intake had fallen, though. Strange.

Jesse’s deal be damned. What was stopping him from blowing him off?

“ _ Que onda?” _ Hanzo turned around at the unknown party in the room. It was a woman, her hair shaved on one side. Her clothes, stockings, almost everything about her was purple.

“I’m good, thank you.” He curtly replied, before resuming his overview of Genji’s biometrics. His bodily health seemed well, no major injuries.

There was a brief moment of silence before Hanzo suddenly realized something was wrong. “Who are you?” He jumped up like a cat, scuttling away from his dropped tablet and finding himself face to face. “What are you doing here?”

The woman walked towards him, Hanzo backing until he was in the kitchen. “The name’s Sombra. I guess you actually did forget, huh? About Jesse’s date?”

“Wh-how did you get in here?!” Hanzo reached for a knife, but found himself at the end of a submachine pistol.

“You ask too many questions! Do you think you’re dressed for a date or not?” Despite her carefree tone, Hanzo felt incredibly compelled to answer. “Yes.”

He looked down at his clothes - a simple dress shirt and pants, perfect for any occasion. The original plan was that he would head to the station, but this would put a wrench in his plans…

“Perfect.” Sombra’s other hand took Hanzo’s, and she put away the pistol. “Hold your breath, and try not to throw up.”

And suddenly the world around him changed - no longer was he in his flat, but now he had appeared in a bathroom. With Sombra yanking his arm, she opened the door to reveal a small, dingy cafe overlooking the river. And Jesse McCree, on his phone at a window booth, still, for some reason, dressed like a cowboy.

“I suppose I don’t have a choice, do I?” Hanzo resigned himself to his fate.

“You know, I really am sorry about that.” Jesse’s apology fell on Hanzo’s deaf, vengeful ears, but at least he tried. “Sombra ain’t usually like this. She’s been trying to get me someone for months now. She thinks she knows everything about everyone and that gives her a right to dictate my love life.”

Hanzo’s mind flashed back to Genji as he tried to set Hanzo up with his friends, or Genji giving his brother a dating app profile. “It reminds me of a certain younger brother. A certain younger brother  _ last seen with you. _ ”

“Woah, now! You don’t even know it’s me-” Jesse’s carefree attitude had gotten the best of Hanzo, who took out his tablet. The holographic display turned on, showing Genji with the silhouette of the mysterious figure.

“That, Jesse McCree, is you.”

“Nah, I’m flattered, but they’re much more stocky than I am.” Jesse then pointed out the arms on the man. “There’s no way that’s me. Absolutely not.”

It looked like Hanzo was going to have to do this the hard way, then.

“Monday, April 8. Chemical engineer Jamison Fawkes, rank 39 is blackmailed by someone who knows of his peculiar taste. Someone who knows  _ everything... _ about  _ everyone _ would manage to get that information. And considering the method she used to infiltrate my apartment, it appears she has the resources necessary for that.”

“That’s Sombra. You’ve only implicated her, but-” Jesse’s comeback was interrupted by Hanzo as he slammed his palm onto the table, jittering the sugar container.

“You will remain silent until I am finished.” Hanzo’s eyes could very well freeze Jesse to death if he could. “Jamison Fawkes was instructed to steal a car and leave it at the Panama Blossom Cafe, where he told me he saw a cowboy. And not only that, but two devices connected to the router at the cafe when he dropped the car off. Jamison, and one Jesse McCree was present there at midnight.”

The cowboy was speechless then, eyes wide as dinner plates. “W-well, that still don’t-”

“ _ And _ not only that, but the car’s license plate was documented at the water plant Genji was last seen at. The car was not documented on traffic cameras until Genji’s disappearance, but the mall, your house  _ and _ the water plant are all connected by an abandoned stretch of highway. Suspicious, is it not?” 

Jesse was silent for a minute, caught in Hanzo’s snare. Trapped. “Well, I guess ya finally caught me. Gotta say, you looked pretty charmin’ when you were layin’ off on me.”

There was a moment of silence as Hanzo took in those words, a hot blush crossing his face, “You are an absolute disgrace!”

Sighing, the woman behind the counter whistled, and from the kitchen came a gigantic omnic - one of those butlers, but probably repurposed for something much more menacing. “Hey. You gonna finish that food? Jesse ain’t the most charmin’ man around, but try and keep it together. I don’t want my other patrons walkin’ in on that noise.”

“I’d listen to Ashe if I were you. Wouldn’t want to be on her bad side, either.” Jesse rebuffed.

The white haired woman had a point - there wasn’t any purpose in losing his cool. Not when he was so close. Huffing to himself, Hanzo sat down.  Surprisingly, the food was quite good.

* * *

 

Saturday brought a new race. Now in the afternoon, Hanzo found himself overlooking the bay area, mist and fog beginning to roll in. A cool, windy afternoon, soon to give way to light. 

Green Sentai and Frostbite were absent this round, replaced with a younger woman named Symmetra, wearing a blue visor and a terrifyingly intimidating man named Doomfist, with a red jacket tied around his waist.

As he settled into the seat of his car, the investigator noticed Jesse right next to him. Sliding down his window, Jesse gave his signature wink and smile. “Try and keep up, sweetheart~”

The flags went down, and Hanzo pressed his foot against the acceleration pedal. At first, it seemed he was in the lead, but one by one the other racers passed by him - Jesse included. He couldn’t afford to lose this race. The faster this was over, the faster he could find Genji and get it over with.

A curve was coming up on the bridge ahead, and Hanzo swerved, the tires drifting on the wet, slippery pavement. At first, he thought he had cleared it, but he saw Jesse’s truck fail to make the turn. A sickening crash through the barricade and a grim splash below was all it took before Hanzo had pulled over, racing towards the spot where Jesse was.

“Jesse!” He shouted at the murky river, as if yelling his name would bring him to the surface. He could see the truck underneath. The door opened, and from the car swam the cowboy in question.

“Howdy! Fine day for a swim, ain’t it?” Jesse, despite being shaken, looked up at Hanzo with the same light in his eyes. 

Hanzo was in disbelief at Jesse’s nonchalance. “What are you doing,” He hissed, looking towards the direction the racers sped towards. “You’ll get cold! Get out of the water!”

It wasn’t long before help arrived in the form of Emily, driving back with a coil of rope and a life ring. With Hanzo’s help, Jesse was hauled onto the bridge, and handed a towel to dry off..

“Race is cancelled.” The redhead radioed in. “Save the money for the next race.”

Jesse looked at Hanzo, no longer sopping wet. “So, why didn’t you go on? Everyone saw me go over, I’m sure you could’ve won your little bet.”

“It would be disappointing if you lost just because I fell over a bridge. When I beat you, I want to see you cross the finish line after me. I look forward to our date tonight.” Hanzo froze up mentally as he said those words. Was that a challenge or was it flirting? Why did he say that?

A soft chuckle escaped Jesse’s mouth as the two got into Hanzo’s car, with Emily’s truck towing out Jesse’s submerged pickup. “Once I dry off, it’s on me. ”

* * *

 

Hanzo squinted his eyes at the blaring lights and the flashing noises and sounds that accompanied. “An arcade?” He asked, wary and yet intrigued. “Why?”

“Thought you could use a little fun in your life, why not the arcade? Cafe date was a little...high strung, I thought we could work out the tension with a game or two.”

“Very well.” Hanzo approached one of the arcade machines. “How about this?”

“Siege Brawlers 3, good choice.” 

The two fought hard and valiantly, but in the end, Jesse proved better at fighting games than Hanzo was.

“You were lucky, that’s all.” Hanzo gripped at his collar and aired out his chest, still worked up. “Next time, I will win.”

A soft chuckle exited Jesse’s throat as he headed over to another arcade machine - an old VR machine that still relied on plugs. “So, it’s a competition, then? Best 2 out of 3, winner buys the other a stuffed toy. Retribution’s my choice for the evening. Seeing as I won and all. Whoever gets the most eliminations wins and chooses the next game.”

The two plugged the VR cables in, and found themselves within the dark world of Rialto. Hanzo had chosen the character of a sniper, arming himself with a bow, while Jesse stayed true to his look and continued as a cowboy, complete with a six shooter. The game was again, long and at times difficult, but the two had cleared the level with flying colours, making it onto the dropship with record time.

“Pretty handy with that bow.” Jesse remarked as he took the cable off. “Not as good as my six shooter.”

“Never second best.” The statistics screen rolled down with both players’ records, including Hanzo as having the most eliminations. “Not as good as your six shooter now?”

Hanzo had won, which meant he got to choose his next game - a shooting galleria, since Jesse had proved that he was the lesser of the two marksmen.

“You sure you wanna do that? I got a few tricks up my sleeve you’d be surprised to see.” Jesse winked, picking up the shooter. 

Hanzo picked up the gun as well, and the game started. “Show me your skills.”

The game started off in Hanzo’s favour, but the investigator noted quickly how Jesse was taking less and less shots. It wasn’t until a flood of enemies had taken over the scream that he stopped firing.

“Giving up so easily-” Jesse’s hand suddenly moved, firing the gun left and right until every last one had died. The cowboy laughed as he watched his score rise.    


“Not yet. Watch and learn.”  But even with Jesse’s parlor trick, it still wasn’t enough to match Hanzo’s accuracy, and it was Hanzo with a large stuffed white tiger walking out the sliding arcade doors. 

“You were good, cowboy...but not good enough.” The two made their way towards the metro station, where Hanzo would soon depart. “I…” He had to admit it, this was fun. “...enjoyed tonight.”

The two men stared at each other as rain began falling down, lightly soaking them. Neon lights streaked the puddles and buildings red and blue, and Hanzo stepped forward. In a moment, he pressed his lips against Jesse’s, then broke the kiss, quickly as he had started.

The two were shocked at what had just transpired. The investigator stammered out an “I-I’m...sorry.” A moment of silence, before Hanzo turned heel and ran, deep into the underground tunnels of the metro.

* * *

 

_ Chat Log: 20:34 _

**Hanzo Shimada:** I’m so close, Genji. I just need to beat this man at his game.

**Hanzo Shimada:** A street racer wants me to beat him, otherwise he takes me out on a date.

**Hanzo Shimada:** They have been pleasant, but I feel bad knowing you’re still out there.

**Genji Shimada:** lolll your a loser

**Hanzo Shimada:** WHAT

**Genji Shimada:** surprise bro

**Hanzo Shimada:** Genji, where are you? Can you tell me? Are you okay?

**Genji Shimada:** chill im fine im a bad bitch you cant kill me

**Genji Shimada:** anyways take your time, theyre pretty nice but im not going anytime soon

**Genji Shimada:** just make sure you know what u want

**Hanzo Shimada:** I miss you, Genji.

**Genji Shimada:** i know

* * *

 

The news that Genji’s most recent messages couldn’t be traced was a dampener on Hanzo’s spirits. The case could easily have been open and shut then, but Hanzo would have to continue racing if he wanted to see Genji again.

And there was the subject of the kiss. How was he to explain for his actions then? As he exited the car, he briefly made eye contact with Jesse for a bit, but hid his gaze, bashful and ashamed. He couldn’t even look the man he was trying to arrest in the eyes. Retreating to the safety of the car, Hanzo took a deep breath. His hands gripped against the plastic of the steering wheel, and for once he wondered if there was a way to even win this challenge.

The race today was set across several shop areas of the outskirts, quaint and quiet - until now. Banners and lights lined the gap. Behind the steering wheel now, a deep breath was taken as Hanzo mentally prepared himself for the flag to go down. 

Emily sauntered across the raceway until she was in front of the racers. “Racers at your places! First to finish gets the spoils of a thousand dollars! On your marks! Get set…”

Hanzo’s foot tapped against the pedal.

“Go!” Twelve cars zoomed past her, blowing her red hair in all directions as the crowd cheered. Hanzo was in last again, but he quickly zoomed past the Junker duo and Frostbite with no difficulty. With a risky swerve, Symmetra found herself behind Hanzo as well.

Ninth place was not so bad, but Hanzo wasn’t ahead of Jesse just yet. In front of him, the road split into two routes, with the map telling him the right route would be shorter.

No wait, up ahead Hanzo could see a makeshift ramp constructed out of a shipping container that, if he was correct, would function as a shortcut and put him ahead of Reaper and Lynx Seventeen. It seemed Stunt Rider: 76 had the same idea as him, and the two found themselves neck and neck. Only one would fit into the shipping container though, and Stunt Rider: 76 seemed hell bent on knocking Hanzo to eighth place. The shipping container was starting to inch closer and closer, up until 5 metres away..

And suddenly, the older man slowed down, allowing Hanzo to pass. Was that a wink from his helmet? Odd. Maybe he just didn’t want to risk it. Hanzo bated his breath as his car launched over the ramp, soaring over the car of Reaper and landing just next to Lynx.

“What the?” The omnic was clearly shocked at their opponent having jumped two places. “I knew I should’ve taken the left path…”

Hanzo checked the HUD on his windshield - he had passed 6 people already, counting Lynx. The cars of Green Sentai, T-racer, Jesse, and two new racers were all he had - one was Ashe, the white-haired woman from the Deadeye Cafe, while the other was a young man named Lucio. 

With a few choice swerves, Lucio found himself cut off and in sixth place. Green Sentai managed to put up a good fight, though, not willing to give up fifth place as easily as his predecessor..

“Face it Hanzo! You’ll have a lot more to go through if you want to beat me!” The sentai ranger tried his best to bump against Hanzo’s car, but Hanzo was no stranger to car chases. He butted Green Sentai back, swerving and forcing him against the side of the road. He could only hear the racer’s frustrated noises as he safely pulled ahead. Soon, Ashe found herself eating Hanzo’s metaphorical dust as his car outsped her bike.

There were only two people to beat now - T-racer and Jesse McCree himself, and then the whole thing would be over. As the young woman saw Hanzo approach in her rearview mirror, she somehow found herself slowing down a bit, allowing Hanzo to pass without much difficulty - and Ashe as well.

Finish line was coming up - and with it a chance at victory, Hanzo just had to overtake Jesse and he could make his arrest, and do away with the memories. Get Genji back, elevate him into a better life and hope they could make it to somewhere better.

Jesse was so close, and Hanzo tried swerving in some attempt to somehow overtake Jesse, but the cowboy was seemingly one step ahead of him. With every try at taking first place and dethroning McCree, it seemed he would be taking first place this round.

The two cars crossed the finish line, with Hanzo in a solid second, slowing before the drivers exited their vehicles.

“You’re doin’ well. I got a feeling you’ll be getting first place soon, but for now, you’ll have to settle for another date. How about this evening? Crimson Square Warehouse, Lucio here is holding a rave.”

* * *

The music was upbeat, pounding in Hanzo’s ears and all through his chest. It was much too loud for his liking, but Jesse seemed to enjoy it. Lucio himself was onstage in the warehouse, green lights accenting his every move, throwing all sorts of shadows against the walls. Ravers surrounded the two men, dancing the night away with neon accents and every sort of clothing imaginable. 

If Hanzo was certain, he had seen a guard or two in the fray. At least the music was good, he’d give the younger man that.

As the beat reverbated in Hanzo’s entire body, Jesse took his hand and the two began dancing, but it never seemed to feel right. It was just mindless flailing and jumping, but the investigator didn’t mind. That was what everyone seemed to be doing, anyways. Actually, he changed his mind - he almost liked it.

After what seemed to be an hour of being surrounded by sweaty bodies and screaming voices, it felt like Hanzo had lost his hearing altogether, and he had tired greatly from all the dancing. He wasn’t suited to events like this where he was surrounded by people.

“You feelin’ alright? Tired? I could get you somewhere quiet, have a nice rest.” Jesse offered, and Hanzo hadn’t said yes so quickly. The cowboy led him out of the warehouse, past dancers and circles of friends, until it was just them two, heading towards a nearby hotel, up the elevator and into a secluded room.

He wasn’t sure what to think. Jesse wasn’t supposed to be like this, he was...well, not really his enemy, and rival wasn’t exactly the way to put it either. And he didn’t want Jesse to be his enemy, not by a long shot. 

“Jesse, I’m...sorry about what happened last time. I didn’t know what I was thinking.” Hanzo sat on the bed, opposite the racer in question.

“You mean the kiss? It’s alright, it was a bit off guard, but...I wouldn’t mind doing it again.”

Hanzo stood up and so did Jesse, and their lips touched once more, more passionate now that one knew what was happening and the other wasn’t driven by impulse. Then Hanzo broke off. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what to do...I’m supposed to be arresting you, not…” He vaguely gestured around to the room. “...this.”

“Well...do you want to be with me?” Jesse asked, and the investigator nodded.

“I have feelings about you...but I can’t put them into words. I don’t want to see you go, but I want my brother back and-”

Jesse shushed Hanzo, quieting him down. “We ain’t gotta worry ‘bout that. What do you want to do...right now?”

A moment of silence filled the room, before Hanzo spoke again. “I want to be with you, and I want to get to know you...more, if that’s okay.”

“I’m fine with that.” Jesse unbuttoned his shirt, and Hanzo took his off as well. “I’d like to get to know you more too.”

Bashful as ever, Hanzo quickly took the cowboy in a hug. “I’m afraid I’m not as experienced in these terms.”

“That’s okay.” Jesse gave a quick peck on Hanzo’s cheek and the two got on the bed, slowly working the rest of their clothes off. “We can figure it as we go along. Don’t be afraid to tell me what you like and don’t.”

The lights slowly faded.

* * *

 

Hanzo’s eyes narrowed as he gripped the steering wheel. The police department was getting suspicious of his activities in the underground, but he could only bluff undercover investigation for so long. This was going to be his last race before he could either tell Chief Petras he couldn’t meet the deadline or that he had arrested someone special to him. The track this time was a more industrial area dotted with parks and pipelines, the finish line being close to the end of a deserted, empty highway.

“Hey, Hanzo!” Green Sentai cheered from his car. “This is your last race, right? Make sure you’re getting what you want!”

Emily brought the flags down and the racers took off, and immediately it was clear who the winner was - either Hanzo or Jesse. Jesse had the advantage of experience and fan favouritism, but Hanzo quickly became a rising star, never seeming to stop short of his newest best.

Hanzo spotted another opportunity - a jump shot that if he executed perfectly, could land him a one way ticket to the finish line. A ramp that if he aimed right, could land him on the highway headed straight to the finish line. He swerved right, holding his breath as he felt gravity lose all meaning.

The ramp went almost vertical and the impact almost knocked the breath out of Hanzo, but he was fine. The car was fine. He drove to the finish line, but then he stopped.

Did he really want to do this? Crossing the line would mean Jesse getting arrested, interrogated and then what? Jesse made him feel something that he wanted badly. The sense of adventure with every race, the thrill of going so fast.

He made his choice. He took his keys out of the ignition and tossed them out the window, and exited the car.

“Hanzo!” One of the crowd members yelled. “What’re you doing, you’re so close to winning!”

He was, but Jesse was so far behind, and the other racers tailed him. Hanzo waited for the rugged man to arrive, and soon enough Jesse pulled up in his brown pickup.

“Hanzo, didn’t take you as the taunting type.” Carefree as always, the cowboy certainly didn’t expect Hanzo to throw something heavy and mechanical onto the ground, shattering it into a few pieces. “Woah, woah there! What’re you doing?”

“That is my engine, Jesse.” Hanzo walked to Jesse’s side of the truck. “I’ve made my decision.”

“Ain’t this your last race? You got a deadline to make-”

Hanzo held a hand up. “Out of the truck.” He ordered, his voice straight and formal like it always was.

Jesse complied, and found himself pulled towards Hanzo in a kiss. He felt Hanzo’s boot against his stomach as he felt himself get kicked away, stumbling and landing with a grunt until he realized Hanzo had pushed him past the finish line.

“I know now, Jesse. Living in this city will only bring me to my doom. Genji is happy with you, isn’t he? I want to join you.”

The racers had all stopped to witness this spectacle, and Green Sentai was the first to speak. “Hanzo. You found out, didn’t you?” His helmet removed, Genji now stepped forward. “Did you like my plan?”

“Plan? What-” Junkrat held a finger to Hanzo’s mouth as he took off his mask, revealing the sooty face of Jamison Fawkes, and Frostbite removed her goggles to one Mei-Ling Zhou.

“I set the whole thing up because I know what happens to people when they ascend the ladder.” Genji explained. “Hanzo, they were going to  _ brainwash _ you. Did you know that? They called it reconditioning, but-” 

They were interrupted by the sound of heavy trucks rolling up, masked soldiers stepping out and aiming shotguns. “Everybody on your knees! We’re here for Hanzo.”

Before Hanzo could even react, there was a piercing whistle from Ashe. “Bob!” She called. “...Take care of these fellas, won’t you?”

The butler seemed satisfied as he pointed his arm, three cannons popping out of his arm as he shot at the soldiers, giving everyone time to escape. Symmetra headed to a nearby truck, pulling up the tail to a teleporter. Hanzo himself had never taken one - those were for the Rank 10s who never seemed to touch the ground. Emily stepped in and disappeared, followed by a few other crowd members.

Jesse quickly shoved Hanzo into the car before slamming his foot on the pedal. The car entered the teleporter, and the other racers followed suit. The now former investigator felt himself almost cease to exist for a few seconds before he reappeared at the end, still in the car. But the surroundings were different - not run down like before, but more or less cleaner and a lot smaller.

The cars soon reappeared, followed by Ashe on her motorcycle and Bob, who had sustained a few bullet wounds. Hanzo stepped out, looking around in wonder as he saw Jamison leap into the arms of an incredibly large man. “What...is this place?”

Jesse turned the truck off. “This is the place where all the outcasts go when they finally learn the truth.” He pointed to Symmetra. “People like Satya, who realized what Vishkar was doing was wrong and made her own use for the technology.” Then to Jamison, and the large man who was probably the CEO from before. “People who loved against the rules in the city. Jamie loved his boss, but even after quitting his job he couldn’t love a Rank 1 because he was bottom of the barrel. Your brother left because…”

Genji suddenly appeared from behind Hanzo. “Hanzo! I’m so glad you followed my plan. Was it enjoyable?”

“Do I have to answer that?”

Laughing to himself, the green haired man pulled aside an omnic with nine dots on his head. “This is Zenyatta. He’s mostly the reason I left...and the plan itself.”

“A pleasure to meet you.” Zenyatta took Hanzo’s hand and shook it. “Your brother is very insightful.”

“Insightful would be one way to put it.” Hanzo grumbled. “Everything’s been a bit...fast paced for me, I must admit.” Before he could say any more, the noise of sirens pierced the air like an arrow, sending everyone into silence, then a frenzy of activity.

“What’s happening now?” Hanzo asked as Jesse ushered him back into the truck. He tried looking around, but he could barely see past the crowd of 30 or so people. Cars suddenly began driving towards one certain road. “Is that the police?”

Jesse started the truck again, and followed the trail of cars. “Looks like the city doesn’t want you gone just yet. Lucky for you, we still have one trick left up our sleeve~”

The truck sped ahead towards the front of the line, and Hanzo could see the city limit walls. “The walls? There’s no way through that, we’ll crash! We’re trapped!”

“Like I said. One trick up our sleeve.” Jesse picked up a radio receiver. “Jamison. Ready the missiles.”

Missiles. They were going to blow up the wall. “You have access to those things?”

“Yeah. Reinhardt Wilhelm might be exiled, but a few bribes here and there and he made sure our escape plan can go swimmingly.” The sound of the missiles’ impact with the wall made Jesse’s grin widen. “There it is. Our way out. They can’t follow us there, unless they wanna learn too much.”

Beyond the walls was a wasteland with ruined buildings and abandoned towns, until the caravan of cars finally came to a stop, near a clear, blue lake.

Freedom. Not from the tyranny of Jesse McCree, but from a city that Hanzo realized was the true enemy. “What do we do now?”

Jesse shrugged, kicking a few rocks. “Beats me. Figured we can just rest here. Maybe...create a new city. No ranks, none of that nonsense. Satya can use her Vishkar tech to fix up the houses…”

Hanzo watched the sun go down, streaking orange and pink across the sky. A welcome change from the whites and the artificial neon colours of the city. “A new home. That sounds wonderful.”


	3. So Lift Me Up and Give Me Higher Ground

The air was chilly as Hanzo and Genji stepped out onto the balcony. There was a tense air of resignation between them, a palpable silence that could be sliced apart with the katana in Hanzo’s hand.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” The elder Shimada asked. 

Genji was silent. “Well, I can’t exactly just up and disappear on my own, can I?” He joked, despite the serious tone of the situation that would soon follow. “I’ll try and meet up with you later, Hanzo. Save the date.” He looked over, knowing the pond he would fall into was deep enough.

“Very well. Then, let us commence.” Drawing the sword, Hanzo made his attack and slashed Genji, his brother doubling down and making a rather dramatic cry of pain. Blood seeped out from his stomach - but really, it was blood packs hidden underneath his clothes that had taken the hit.

After waiting for a moment, Hanzo took out a knife and pierced the blood pack on Genji’s chest, leaving it in. “Your performance is too exaggerated.” He whispered, before standing up. “You were never my equal.”

Genji remained still, playing dead until Hanzo hoisted his body up, almost seemingly hugging him before dropping him into the pond. He watched as Genji swam away, satisfied at how the act went. With the elders believing he had killed Genji, they’d finally stop-

“This is the police! Drop your weapons, hands up and on the ground!” Freezing up, Hanzo dropped the katana and knelt on the ground.

Footsteps sounded from behind him as he felt the muzzle of a gun press against his head. “That’s the one.” Another familiar voice from behind, but Hanzo already knew who it was. “I never thought you would actually do it...what a disappointment you are, Hanzo.”

Hanzo couldn’t say anything. The elders had set him up!  As he was dragged from the balcony, Hanzo could only hope for a miracle to save him.

“Keep him for a moment.” The elder whipped out a hot iron, and Hanzo realized it was in the shape of his family’s crest. “I want to remind him of who he just killed.”

Being in the yakuza was a double edged sword, the police could be on your side but the moment you defect, the entire world might as well be against you.

“No.” Hanzo shook his head, and the officers kept him still as the iron descended on his right arm. “I’m innocent, I swear!”

Genji swam away in the meantime, oblivious to the harrowing scream that rang out and unaware of what would soon befall his brother.

* * *

Hanzo was shoved into the prison pod, a bit embarrassed at having been stripped naked. His arms and legs were soon placed in their respective shackles by the guards, leaving him tied spread eagle and completely vulnerable. The skin on his right arm throbbed with pain from the branding.

If it were Genji in this position, he would have cracked some lewd joke, but Hanzo knew what awaited people in prison pods. They were the worst torture imaginable, reserved only for the worst of criminals. Only snippets of what actually happened inside reached the public, but the sources were unreliable and unbelievable. With the technology the Intergalactic Federation possessed, it seemed almost anything was possible.

The wires on his head would soon plunge him into whatever twisted version of retribution the Galactic Federation deemed ethical. The cover blocked most of his vision, but he could still the conversation between his captors, now mere silhouettes.

“So, what is this guy in for, anyways?”

The guard shrugged. “They told me he killed his own brother or something. Kinda messed up.”

“Fratricide?!” The other guard almost seemed to recoil. “What kind of monster would do such a thing?”

Hanzo desperately wanted to scream, to say he was innocent, but really it was going to fall on deaf ears. 

“What’s the sentencing, then?”

“Oh, they said to plug him into the system, make him experience two years every year.”

The guard got lightly pushed aside as the other guard took place at the controls. “That’s wayyyy too low. What’s the upper limit on this thing, the guy killed his brother!”

Obviously used to such antics, the other guard stopped any further meddling. “I don’t think so. Besides, if they find out what you’ve been doing, then you might end up in one of those. Now help me get this thing on the launcher.”

Hanzo suddenly felt the pod begin moving, and he knew what came next. He would be blasted off into space, never to see his brother or the light of day. His breathing grew ragged as the reality of his fate soon set in.

Unknown to him and the guards, there was a small device plugged into the control panel. The numbers began moving by themselves, rising higher and higher.

* * *

 

Genji walked along the streets, the hood of his electric green hoodie up and hiding any distinguishing features. Here, he was another face in the crowd. Up ahead was one such crowd, huddled around the city centre, with holoscreens all over with his brother’s face on them.

His interest now piqued, Genji made his way past all the people until he was in front of one.

“HANZO SHIMADA HAS BEEN ARRESTED FOR THE MURDER OF HIS BROTHER”, the news ticker read. Next to it was a timer, counting down from five minutes. There was no way Genji could save Hanzo, and there was nothing he could do but watch.

When the five minutes were up, the crowd cheered as the prison pod Hanzo was in lifted off, leaving a beautiful trail of smoke and whatever emissions would propel him into the Kuiper Belt.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen. Genji had to find a way to get into space and retrieve the prison pod.

“Shit.” He said, amongst the cheers and volley of the crowd.

* * *

 

Hanzo wasn’t sure how long it had been. He had lost count of so much, and he had been trapped in nothingness for days now. Weeks? Months? He couldn’t see. There was nothing to hear but silence. He couldn’t even taste or move his tongue, or even breathe in. He was completely immobilized. He couldn’t feel anything around him except an empty void, not even the pain that came from being branded.

_ I’m innocent! _ He tried to plead, but nothing could read his thoughts. He was trapped in here, and that was when it really started to set in. He wanted to feel tears rushing down his face, but they couldn’t spare him that either. Just a soul, floating in a void.

Back in Hanamura, Genji had taken three steps towards the nearest Space Force office. Hanzo had endured 50,000 years in one second, and he had been none the wiser. 

But eventually, Hanzo’s mind started rewiring itself. Years and years of sensory deprivation began to do him in, and suddenly he began seeing memories of Genji’s blood on his hands.  _ I killed Genji. _ His mind said, and Hanzo began spiraling down into an endless loop of guilt, knowing he deserved this very fate.  _ I deserve this. _

* * *

 

_ Ten years later _

Captain Jack Morrison sighed as he leaned back against the captain’s chair - well, co-captain’s chair. He liked to run a tight ship, and Gabe did too. Too bad Gabe was out taking a piss or something, then he could have cracked open a drink to share.

“Vaswani?” He called attention to a woman wearing a blue uniform to his left. “Status on shields, we need to be fully prepared if we’re going to confront the Federation on the Vishkar crystals.”

The woman typed in a few commands on her keyboard. “Shields are at 85% capacity, Captain, and recharging. We should be at 100% by the time we reach the Federation ship.” She reported, curt and to the point. 

“Good.” Jack was about to relax when he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. A speck, that wasn’t a star or a meteorite. “Wait a second...Fawkes? Check the radar, I think we’re seeing another ship.”

“Yes, Captain.” The lanky man in front of him pulled up the radar hologram, scanning whatever was in front of them. “Looks to be a prison pod. About...10 years old, I’m guessing.”

A sigh escaped Jack as he bowed his head. “Jesus…bring them in. See if you can find out who’s inside.”

Fawkes began typing, coming across a profile. “Hanzo Shimada, arrested and sentenced for killing his brother...wait, that bloke sounds familiar…”

“Shimada.” Vaswani echoed. “...Like Genji?”

Jack grabbed the PA microphone, speaking very slowly and clearly. “Captain Reyes will get his ass down to the deck the moment I put down this microphone. Security Officer Shimada will report to the deck as well, as I think we’ve found something very concerning about his past.”

Not a moment too soon after he had clicked the microphone off, the sliding doors almost burst open to the sight of Gabriel Reyes, the other captain, as well as a very terrified Genji Shimada under his arms, the young man clutching a half-eaten apple. “What’s going on? What is it?”

“Captain Reyes, nice of you to join us.” Jack gave a quick peck on his husband’s cheek. “We’ve discovered a prison pod and Officer Shimada has some explaining to do.”

“E-explaining?” Genji finally saw the image of Hanzo and connected the dots. “Oh my god. We finally found him. We have to take him in immediately.”

“You heard him. Get Officer McCree to the collection bay, and Medical Officers O’Deorain and Santos on standby. Shimada, please explain to me how you got killed by your brother.”

* * *

 

The prison pod now sat in the collection bay, cold and silent. Genji, having joined Jesse dashed over to the pod, pressing the release button immediately. “Hanzo! Oh my god, Hanzo, what did they do to you?”

The lid slowly opened, and Genji and Jesse could both see Hanzo inside. The green-haired man immediately cradled Hanzo’s face, weathered and wet from a decade trapped in stasis. “Who...are you?” He finally managed to get out as Jesse unshackled the man’s arms and legs.

Genji blinked a bit, but pinned Hanzo’s forgetfulness on ten years of sensory deprivation, or whatever he had gone through.

Moira and Lucio rushed over with a medical kit. “Woah!” Lucio exclaimed, mostly from the shock of seeing Hanzo’s emancipated body. “Alright, buddy, we’re going to get you some help, alright?”

As the two medical officers began transporting Hanzo’s body to the infirmary, Genji looked back at the controls, fiddling with a few buttons. His eyes widened at the numbers that showed up on the screen. “W-what? This isn’t real...

“What is it?” Jesse asked.

“It says here that Hanzo was experiencing 50,000 years per  _ second _ . Is that even possible?”

The bearded man took a look as well. “Well it must be if it says that. But this is far too twisted, even for the Federation. I reckon this is somethin’ much worse.”  

* * *

When Hanzo awoke, he was in a bed, several devices clipped up to him and measuring his heart rate, blood pressure, all sorts of things. Everything was a daze. Why wasn’t he back in his pod? Was his sentence not indefinite?

There was a young man next to him, with vibrant green hair and fast asleep. He suddenly woke up, and immediately relief spread across his face as he saw Hanzo’s state of consciousness. “Hanzo! You’re finally awake! I’m so sorry about, well, not getting you after ten years...what did they do to your arm?”

Who was this man? How did he know his name? Was he really in there for just ten years?

“...Who are you?” He croaked out. 

The man continued smiling despite his question, simply in denial that he had ever asked in the first place. “I-it’s me. Genji Shimada? Your little brother? What do you mean, ‘who are you’? This is a prank, right? You’re angry over being stuck in there for ten years, aren’t you?”

But Hanzo still didn’t get it. He wasn’t even angry, in fact, he  _ wanted  _ to be back in the pod.  _ Needed  _ to. All because of one thing.

“Genji is dead. I killed him myself. Where am I?” 

The Genji across from him shook his head, looking behind him. “You’re aboard the GSS  _ Gibraltar _ . It’s a rogue ship, sailing amongst the stars to help everyone in need. You can cut the act, no one’s watching us. You’re safe now!”

“Genji is dead.” Hanzo repeated, his throat raspy and dry from a decade. Genji gave him some water, and he accepted it, even if he was acting strange. “I don’t understand why you’re acting like my brother.”

All semblance of relief and happiness drained from Genji. “You don’t remember? The blood packs, the hug, the plan?!” He stood up. “Hanzo! It’s me! Genji! You can’t possibly have forgotten!”

“ _ Genji is dead! _ I do not know why you’re acting like him, but stop. I know now I deserve to be punished. Put me back in the prison pod where I belong.”

Something snapped in Genji, and he grabbed Hanzo’s shoulders, the patient still remaining stoic. “Hanzo, please! You have to remember! Don’t you remember me? Us? Going out for ramen, or bubble tea? Scolding me for bringing home anyone that wanted to sleep with me? The arcade? We made a promise!”

It was at that moment that Moira walked in on Genji shaking Hanzo. “Unbelievable.” She sighed, before grabbing her communicator and immediately paging the other security officers before trying to restrain him. 

“The festivals we all had together! You’d always buy me takoyaki!” Genji struggled against Moira’s grip. “A-and when I was in high school you’d help me with my homework and exams! And the one time where you got sick and I took care of you!”

But Hanzo’s eyes remained blank, unchanging, confused from all the memories that never existed. Even as he was getting dragged back into the hall, Genji let out one final “Hanzo!”, a vain attempt at getting Hanzo to remember.

* * *

 

Jesse entered the room he shared with Genji, noting the security officer had lost all of his cheeriness and charm. Now he sat, glum and with a frown that seemed permanently plastered onto his face.

“Genji? What happened?” Jesse set aside the tablet on the table, approaching his best friend. Genji patted the spot next to him, and Jesse sat down.

There was a moment of silence before he spoke. “They brainwashed him.” Genji moaned, his face in his hands. “That’s what they did. They made him believe he actually killed me and that deserves to be there.”

“Poor Hanzo.” Jesse mused. “I heard what happens to people in prison pods, but I didn’t realize it would be that horrific. So he won’t listen to you, then?”

“No. He thinks I’m some sort of impostor.”

A plan began formulating in Jesse’s head. “Well, he might not listen to you, but he’ll listen to me.”

* * *

 

The second person overseeing Hanzo was a rather strong man, with a beard that made him look like he had been snatched out of a Western movie. He was, however, wearing the same thing as Genji - a yellow shirt with a symbol on his left chest, and dark grey pants.

“The name’s Jesse McCree. Howdy.”

Hanzo wouldn’t have been surprised if that were true. “Hello.” He greeted. “What is going on here?”

“Well, if you haven’t heard, this is the Galactic Spaceship  _ Gibraltar _ . We’re a rogue ship helping those in need. Apparently, that means you.”

“I am not in need. Just...put me back in the pod and we can all be on our way.”

A frown crossed the man’s face, but he continued. “Now, now. You know we don’t do that here.” His thought process ran for a moment, before reaching a satisfactory excuse. “Co-captain’s orders.”

“I see...wait, co-captain?”

“Yep. There’s two captains here. Actually, you probably haven’t seen much of the ship except for the medical bay, haven’t you? I can show you around here, if you’d like. Well, once Moira and Lucio clear you.”

There wasn’t much choice for Hanzo except “Of course.”. Might as well, a common courtesy.

Two days passed - the first was comprised of Moira and her nanomachines. It was a bit tiresome, having to lay still as the nanomachines did their work, and when he was able to walk, he had to latch onto Jesse because it was so difficult.

“How did it go? Was Moira good to you?” Jesse asked as he helped Hanzo hobble to his room. “I know from experience she can be a bit much.”

“She seems very...frightening.”

“Oh, she  _ had _ to be frightening before she was on the ship. She’s a geneticist, apparently the Federation deemed her work with the nanomachines unethical.” Jesse paused for a bit. “Okay. Maybe she is unethical, but one of our co-captains, Gabe let her in because the nanomachines really do come in handy if we’re in a pinch, and she had to help him in return.”

“What did she help Gabe with?” Hanzo asked.

The security officer could only give a shrug in return. “Hell if I know.”

After Moira was Lucio - a peppier, more hip young man that helped him to be able to walk without some sort of aid. Even if Hanzo was certain he couldn’t walk a minute more, he couldn’t help but feel rejuvenated by Lucio’s encouragement, the young man’s clapping and cajoling eventually helping him to walk without having to rely on Jesse as much.

“He’s very enthusiastic.” Hanzo noted in bed as he rested that night. “I’m surprised he received being with a killer so well.”

Jesse didn’t bother to brush on that part. “Well, Lucio’s a bit of an optimist and a friend to all. When he finds someone he can’t agree with, the universe as we know it might as well end. Which it has come close to.”

“Really?” Hanzo raised an eyebrow. “Who was it?”

“It’s a long story.” Jesse sat down. “Satya Vaswani, one of the engineers, would absolutely  _ not _ click with him. You know the Vishkar Corporation, right? She was affiliated with them, and Lucio led an uprising in one of the colonies under their control. Took a ton of fights and a near failed mission before they found out they worked better cooperating.”

A soft chuckle escaped Hanzo, but his smile quickly faded. “Reminds me of Genji.”

* * *

 

The science lab was the first place they visited. The GSS _Gibraltar_ wasn’t very strong, with only two present inhabitants of the science labs currently - Satya Vaswani and Jamison Fawkes, currently invested in making out with each other. Hanzo and Jesse entered the lab, and Jamison quickly got off of Satya’s lap, the two acting interested in looking over schematics for a turret design. 

“And this is the science lab.” Jesse explained, neither of the two men noticing the science officers’ previous activities. “We normally have a lot of members, but right now half the ship is on another mission. We’re waiting around for them before we head out to the Federation. So, say hello to Science Officers Vaswani and Fawkes.” 

The two almost seemed like hard opposites in Hanzo’s mind. Satya was silent, yet almost graceful as she gave a small wave with her fingers. He almost sensed a kindred spirit.

Jamison, on the other hand, screamed  _ clunky _ and  _ chaotic _ from his appearance alone, even if he was wearing the same blue uniform as Satya. A lanky young man with an orange prosthetic arm that seemed to be made out of scrap metal. Was his hair on fire or was that just the light? “G’day, mate!” He winked at Hanzo.

“Satya and Jamison are both engineers here. They’re both skilled in their own ways...but I think that’s for them to show. If you may?”

Jamison was first to spring up, pulling a cart full of contraptions in full view. “My specialty’s explosives! Always had a knack for them. I’m even the assigned Chemistry Officer!”

“In most Federation-regulated ships, we typically have a more larger crew inhabiting the science labs.” Satya explained, seeing the confused look on Hanzo’s face. “The goal for most Delta Class-ships like the  _ Gibraltar _ is one person in each physical science field stationed on the ship at all times - Biology - that would be Moira and Lucio, our medical officers - Chemistry, which is Jamison, Physics, which would be me, Engineering, which Chief Engineer Torbjorn would fall under, ad Earth Sciences. Since Officer Zhou is on a mission with half the ship, we have no one.”

Hanzo nodded in understanding. “I see. What do you specialize in, Satya?”

“You may have heard that I was formerly affiliated with Vishkar.” Focusing her gaze to her prosthetic left arm, she began working her magic, tracing elaborate patterns within the hard light receptor. “Hard light is my specialty. If I can think it and draw up a schematic, then I can make it.” With a simple flick of her wrist, the designs dissipated into hard light particles that faded. “Would you like me to make something for you?”

The Japanese man thought for a bit, seemingly staring through Satya. “...If you wish to make something for a killer, then I suppose so.”

“Hmph.” Satya’s face soured as she looked Hanzo up and down. “Kindly adjust, and we will begin. Anything specific?”

“...My family crest. Something to remind me of who I was.” He pulled up his sleeve, revealing the brand marked on him ten years ago. The other three winced a bit.

“I...yes, of course. I may need a moment.” Satya focused her eyes on her prosthetic, drawing out and perfecting each line and stroke, as much as it pained her to look at the mark. Jamison put his hand on her shoulder as a way of comforting her, and Satya managed to spin the pendant from nothing but light. 

Next to her, Jamison was absolutely starstruck as Satya pulled the pendant into existence. “From light into being.” He whispered. 

A small chuckle escaped Satya. “That would be my line.” She handed the pendant over to Hanzo. “Your family crest. I could make larger things. Bridges, ramps, houses. I’ve even created an enormous barrier to protect us from sniper fire. In fact,” She gestured around the entire room. “This entire room is made from hard light.”

“Am I hard light?” Jamison asked, much to her amusement.

* * *

After the science lab was the recreation room and cafeteria, mostly inhabited by the security team. With half the ship on another mission, this meant the only security officers were Genji, Jesse and two others. One was a young woman who seemed fresh out of high school, invested in her personal gaming device as she laid across a couch. The other was a bit older, with tanned skin, eating lunch.

“That’s Hana,” Jesse ruffled the hair of the gaming officer. “And Fareeha.” He gestured towards the eating officer. 

“Greetings.” Fareeha waved. “Have you had lunch yet? It’s really good! Genji’s been in the kitchen since this morning.” “Genji” exited the kitchen with two plates - one with chopsticks, one with a fork. “Look, there he is right now.”

“Hanzo! There you are! I’ve been waiting for you.” “Genji” set the plates down - two bowls of ramen. “I tried my best to make the ramen they had at Rikimaru, but hopefully it’s good, right?”

He could see his eyes staring back at him, reflected in the brown broth. It had been too long since he had actually used chopsticks, but his muscle memory didn’t fail him. The moment he chewed down on the noodles, the taste almost made him have a flashback.

_ “Hanzo! Hanzo, can we go to Rikimaru?” _

_ “Genji, you know Father will be cross if we ruin our appetites.” _

_ The young boy paused in thought. “Then let’s get ramen together! All three of us!” _

“Hanzo? Is it good?”

The taste was spot on. Hanzo knew Genji was positively addicted to Rikimaru’s ramen, probably enough to replicate the recipe. But all Hanzo spat out was “It’s...acceptable.”

“Genji”’s almost giddy, excited smile seemed to fade in a second.  No. That wasn’t Genji. Once he finished, he stood up and left the table, carrying the bowl to the kitchen to wash. When he finished, he turned around to see Jesse with a stern look on his face.

“That was a bit rude, don’t you think?” Jesse asked. “I thought it was mighty fine. Genji-”

“That is NOT Genji!” Hanzo adamantly stepped forward. “I think I remember clearly that I killed him.”

Putting his hands up, Jesse relented. “Alright, fine, fine, if that’s how you want to look at it.” 

The intercom once again crackled to life. “Hanzo Shimada and Jesse McCree. Please report to the bridge.”

Jesse seemed a bit peeved at the interruption of the captain. “That’s our cue. We’ll talk later.”

* * *

The doors to the bridge opened as Jesse and Hanzo walked in. In front of them were two chairs, and around those chairs were the consoles and control panels that composed and controlled the ship.

One of the chairs spun around. “A pleasure to see you, Hanzo- ah, crap.” Co-captain Jack Morrison, an old man of many years and scars sat, a king on his throne, but here the throne had spun a bit too far to face Jesse and Hanzo. He adjusted his position with his legs, until he faced them again. “Welcome aboard the Galactic Ship _Gibraltar_. I’m Co-Captain Jack Morrison.” He gestured among the eight crew members in the room with him. “And my helm crew. You’ve been acquainted with Science Officers Vaswani and Fawkes. It’s time you met the heads.”

There were four others than Jack and Gabe on the bridge, each looking formidable in their own right. Jack first pointed to a short man with a long beard - one who wore red. “That is Chief Engineer Torbjorn Lindholm, our Fourth Mate.” Torbjorn grunted a hello, before turning his attention to the console in front of him, trying to repair it.

“Do not be deterred, my friend!” A gigantic arm curled around Hanzo’s arm. Terrified, he turned around to see a literal giant of a man, with brilliant long white hair and a beard, dressed in the same yellow uniform Jesse wore.. “Chief Security Officer Reinhardt Wilhelm, at your service!”

A smaller woman immediately took Reinhardt’s arm. “Reinhardt, you’re overwhelming him.” After guiding him to his spot on deck, she turned to the duo. “I’m sorry if he’s a bit much. He gets very excited about new members, since as the Third Mate he’s in charge of them. Almost drowned Jamison in his love when he joined.” She held her hand out, and Hanzo shook it. “My name is Ana Amari. Chief Medical Officer, and Second Mate, as well as Fareeha’s mother.” She acknowledged a figure lying back in a chair, invested in reading a book. “That’s our Fifth Mate and Chief Science Officer-” 

“Ana, please, I can introduce myself. Name’s Liao, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” There was a knowing smirk on the officer’s face seeing Ana’s disapproval. However, Liao didn’t do much more than throwing a peace sign and returning to work.

“Wait, then who is the First Officer?” Hanzo wondered.

“That would be Gabriel, technically, but ever since he became a Co-Captain, it’s become a shared thing.” The doors opened, revealing a man about Jack’s age with a thick goatee. “Look, there he is now.”

“Gabe.” Jack pat the Latino’s back, gesturing towards Hanzo. “Glad of you to join us, our newest recruit, Hanzo Shimada.”

Recruit. The name struck something odd deep down in Hanzo’s chest. Pride? A sense of belonging? Hanzo shook his head. “Why?” He asked.

Jack, Gabe, and Ana turned to Hanzo. “What do you mean, why?”

“Why are you calling me such? Accepting me? I’m a killer!” Hanzo could feel all those eyes on him, staring him down.  “I don’t have time for such frivolous acts.”

He left the bridge, briskly walking to somewhere secluded where he could think to himself. The storage closets were unfortunately locked, but Hanzo quickly found a washroom where he could sit by himself. There were no knocks on the door that followed, and he was a bit thankful for that.

It was almost laughable how naive the others were. Letting a killer into their merry happy family. Hanzo knew better than that, he killed his own brother, after all. He deserved to be chained up in some spacecraft, forgotten by everyone.

His mind felt a bit fuzzy as he thought that, and he felt a bit...guilty? Why was he guilty? Over Genji’s death? He conjured up the memory of slicing Genji on the balcony. He couldn’t feel anything. There was the impostor, though, crying over him, and he felt a similar tear roll down his cheek.

No. That wasn’t Genji. Genji was dead. 

The intercom system crackled to life. “Attention all personnel, our scout ship  _ Slipstream _ has docked. Please make your way to Dock B to congratulate Security Lieutenant Lena Oxton on her first mission as head.”

There was a knock on the door. “Hanzo? You in there? Listen, I know you’re not in the mood right now, but...I was wonderin’ if you’d want to come along. Meet the rest of us. There’s Lena, and Olivia and Mako...if not, I’ll be staying here.”

That caught his attention. “Staying? Don’t you want to be with your friends?”

“I mean, sure, but I already know them. I’d...like to know more about you.”

“Why would you want-” But before Hanzo could answer, the ship suddenly rocked, throwing Hanzo across the room. Standing up, he got his bearings and used the sink to stand up, opening the door a crack. “Is that normal?”

Jesse shook his head. “I should probably check on that.”

Hanzo left the isolation of the bathroom. “Let me go with you.” He wasn’t sure why he said that, but something was compelling him to investigate. “Please.”

As the two headed towards Dock B, there was a sense of dread that hung in the air. They could hear a faint alarm, but nothing on Jesse’s communicator or the intercom indicated an emergency. Turning a corner, they came across a young woman kneeling on the ground next to an unconscious Torbjorn. Her auburn hair was tied up in a ponytail, and she wore the blue uniform that marked her a science officer.

“Pappa! Pappa, please wake up!” She pleaded, tears running down her face.

Jesse immediately ran over. “Brigitte! What happened?”

The girl - Brigitte - shook her head. “I-I don’t know! I left to go to the washroom, but then the ship rocked, everyone was screaming, Pappa was unconcious-”

“Jesse? Brigitte? Oh, thank goodness you’re okay!” A shorter, chubbier woman ran down the hallway, looking quite terrified as she tried to pat down her blue uniform - notably, one of a darker shade. She was accompanied by an omnic who seemed to float, exuding a calm aura. However, the omnic was dressed in a dark green uniform.

“Counselor Zenyatta, Officer Zhou. What happened?”

“We brought some crystals from the planet, to study. Gabe touched them, and then he…”

The omnic spoke. “A great, chaotic presence has been resting within him. When he touched the crystals, it took control of his body and he was unable to stop it. His body forcibly transformed.”

The four could hear another voice coming down the halls, high pitched and wavering, trying to maintain some sense of cheerfulness. “Gabe? I know you’re in there, please try and fight it-”

Around the corner, Hanzo could see the small form of a security officer crumple to the ground. He could see her eyes behind orange goggles and her mousy brown hair roll back as she began convulsing, then laying still.

“ _ Lena!”   _ Jesse screamed as he saw her cease her movements.

A cloud of smoke began wafting down the halls, and Mei seemed to freeze up on sight. It looked vaguely humanoid, but its shape was constantly changing between charging towards them and holding itself back. Either way, it was slowly drifting towards them.

“Go!” And without a second thought, Mei ran towards the smoke, going right into the cloud before collapsing against the wall, her glasses clattering off her face.

Hanzo, Jesse, Brigitte and Zenyatta quickly took off, running down the hall. Jesse quickly stopped to activate a security door, and they scuttled back to see how the smoke would react. True to their theory, the smoke stopped by the door, but to their abject horror, it began condensing into a human hand, typing in a security code to unlock the barrier. And with speed unmatched, it passed through Zenyatta and Brigitte, before circling in on Hanzo and Jesse.

Hanzo fell to the ground, struggling to regain control of his body. He felt so sluggish, and terrified like he was having sleep paralysis. The last thing he saw before his eyelids closed was Jesse’s face.

* * *

Hanzo couldn’t move, but this time it wasn’t like the prison pod. It was like he had been paralyzed, staring up at some formless ceiling

“Hanzo! Hanzo, please wake up!”

Someone was calling his name, but it sounded so distant, like he was hearing an archival recording from years long past. Above him was a face, but it was so fuzzy he couldn’t make out who he was.

Green hair. That reminded him of someone...but who was it?

“Don’t leave me!”

Oh, right, that was Genji above him. Everything was getting clearer. Was he in the afterlife, then? He tried to get up, but it felt like his body wasn’t obeying his commands. He was trapped there, his muscles feeling like they were disconnected to his body, until finally with a herculean effort, he managed to rise.

“Genji, stop crying, I-” But this was the impostor Genji, the one with the yellow uniform. Why was he crying over him? Why was he impersonating his little brother? 

And then he saw it. “Genji” was kneeling over Hanzo’s body, as if he had never gotten back up. It was like viewing himself from a camera, a third party, an unseen observer.

Hanzo waved his hand around, then tried to touch Genji, only to pass through him. Was he a ghost now? Was that what it was? 

_ “This is the last thing I wanted.” _ Hanzo could hear Genji’s voice all around him, but he hadn’t spoken at all. Were those his thoughts?

_ “Hanzo, please don’t leave me. I’ve been searching for you for ten years. Don’t go.” _

Ten years.  He could only imagine the pain of having to search for someone he loved dear for a decade. Was this really Genji, then? Hanzo felt terrible for how he treated him onboard the ship, waves of guilt and tears that tried to drip down his cheeks cascading over his chest.

Too bad Genji couldn’t hear him now. Hanzo sank to his knees, bowing deeply in front of him. “Genji, I’m so, so sorry I treated you like this. Please forgive me.”

Something must have happened, because suddenly Genji seemed to have heard him. “Hanzo? Where am I? Is it...really you?”

Hanzo looked up. Genji was standing above him, looking around. “What happened? I was at the dock, and Gabe touched the crystals and-” His eyes widened. “Gabe! Hanzo, where is he? Where are we?”

Around them was a shapeless, grey void. If there was a word Hanzo could use to answer, it was probably ‘nothing’. 

“I’m not sure.” Hanzo mused. “Genji, I-”

“Yes, I know you’re sorry.” Genji waved Hanzo off as if Hanzo had just bumped into him. “I’m just...glad you’re back.”

Genji suddenly pulled Hanzo into a hug, and didn’t let go for a long while, but when he did Hanzo could clearly see the trails of tears going down his face.

“Don’t leave me ever again, you little shit. The last thing I wanted was losing you.” And suddenly Genji collapsed, starting to turn translucent.

“Genji! What’s happening?” 

The security officer tried to sit up, glancing at his hands. “I passed out, didn’t I? Does this mean I’m waking up?”

And then he faded away, as did the visage of his dead body. Hanzo trekked off into the void after that, hoping to find some sort of exit.

* * *

 

The next person was, surprisingly, Science Officer Vaswani. As Hanzo walked, he found himself in the remnants of a burning town - no, a slum of a city. Rubble crumbled and piled up around him, and in the centre of it, there she was, this time wearing a much more different uniform - white and blue, instead of her full-on light blue uniform.

The uniform of Vishkar.

“Satya,” He started, but he didn’t know how to continue.

She continued staring off into space, on her knees. “Calado.” She whispered. “I…didn’t know it would happen. It was all my fault.”

Hanzo cautiously approached her, and sat down beside the officer. “What happened, if I may ask?”

“Calado was a construction company competing with Vishkar to revitalize a slum here. Vishkar wanted me to sneak into their headquarters and plant a listening device, but they lied to me.”

“A bomb.” Hanzo surmised.

“Yes. I knocked out several guards in doing so. Now look at what has become of them, and where they live. Such chaos, all this destruction was my fault.”

They both stared out into the ruins of the slums, the burning and creaking of buildings..

“But you had no way of knowing, did you?” He asked, and she shook her head.

“Vishkar treated me as a sort of tool. Because they were all I knew, I was so imperceptible of anything else. I was easy to manipulate and convince. But aboard the  _ Gibraltar _ , everything felt complete. Lucio helped me realize that his point of view was as valid as mine.”

In a sense, Satya reminded Hanzo of himself.  The Shimada Clan was all he knew, and then the prison pod. Trapped in his own mindset and memories.

“Calado was still a secret, though, if they find out...I fear I may not be onboard anymore. The last thing I would like right now is to be cast out again.”

He could see her worries and struggle. Satya made it out to be the worst thing that would happen to her. The same thing happened with Genji, didn’t it? Seeing his brother dead?”

“This is a trick.” He realized, standing up. “This is a trick! Satya, what was the last thing you remember?”

“Gabriel touched the crystals the returning officers brought, and then he turned into a monster.” Satya seemed to understand what was going through Hanzo’s mind.

The prisoner helped Satya up. “The same thing happened with Genji. We’re all experiencing our worst fears. Now, you have friends onboard, right?”

She gave a slight nod, knowing exactly what Hanzo would say.

“Then you have nothing to worry about. I’m positive that even if Calado came to light...you will not be excluded. And Jamison...perhaps he has done rather unsavoury things as well.”

Satya let out a small chuckle, restrained, a sense of somber reflection inside. “He’s more upfront about it...but we all understood him, after all, he was brought up on that  _ horrible _ Junker planet…”

“Then they will understand you as well.” Hanzo finished with a smile. “After all, you were brought up on that  _ horrible _ Vishkar doctrine, no?”

Her words suddenly used against her, the science officer let out a snicker or two, before she finally laughed. “Thank you.” She smiled at him, before she faded away.

Pleased at how Satya came to terms with herself, Hanzo set off to find the next person.

* * *

Hanzo’s next destination was one of canyons and hard, rocky landscapes. Lone roads gave way to the occasional rest stop or gas station, but the inside of them were all fragmented, giving way to the same grey void.

There was only one building Hanzo knew he could enter - the Panorama Diner, sitting peacefully amongst the wreck of a train. Inside was a familiar man, this time with a red serape and a cowboy hat, sitting all alone. Around the diner were bodies of people - Gabe, a tanned woman with hair shaved on one side, Lena, Genji, Hana, Reinhardt. All dead, but Hanzo knew they were fake.

“Jesse.” Hanzo gestured towards the seat. “May I?”

He gave a nod, but his face was grim and serious, all trace of his freeloading, laid back self replaced. “Never expected to see you here.”

“What’s on your mind?” Hanzo asked.

The security officer - well, cowboy, really - looked back at the train wreck outside. “...This was all my fault. I shouldn’t have come back, all I’ve done is cause trouble..”

“If it’s any comfort, I’m not dead.” Hanzo looked around at the ruined remains of the train. “What happened here?”

“Just a face-off between me and an old friend, years back.”  Jesse glumly stared down at the empty plate in front of him. “For a while, she and I were close. Bit too rich for my tastes, but Ashe made sure I knew just who I was, first and foremost.”

He undid the flannel under, revealing his wide, bare chest, with a gang insignia imprinted right in the middle - a skull with wings, above a lock and two stars, with the words “DEADLOCK REBELS”. Whether it was branded or tattooed, Hanzo knew exactly what it meant.

“In a way, she’s right. Always had a penchant for getting everyone around me in trouble. Deadlock, then joining the Space Force with Gabe. We were different back then, before we disbanded. We came back together after seven years, and now this happened.” A bitter chuckle escaped his lips. “Just like you, I guess.”

Hanzo could see where he was coming from. “I see...that may be true, but that doesn’t mean you have to push everyone away. You and I both know we can’t change what we’ve done, but...perhaps we can atone by helping others. Besides, everyone here are capable of protecting and taking care of themselves. Even if trouble follows you, I’m sure they can handle it. ”

The bodies began shimmering and fading away - Genji first, then the woman with shaved hair, and then everyone else, until it was just Jesse who was starting to become thin air.

“Hanzo...thank you.” He hugged Hanzo close, and then Jesse wasn’t there anymore.

* * *

Once Hanzo left the Panorama Diner and set off back into the void, it was a long while before he saw anyone, but he knew at the centre of it all was Gabriel Reyes. 

The canyons and dry desert faded into grey, as did the sky, and soon a new landscape appeared - one familiar, but so unfamiliar at the same time. 

The G.S.S _Gibraltar_. 

Hanzo had only been on it for less than a week, and half of it was in the medbay. But the version of the spaceship he was walking through looked...wrong. For one, the white, somewhat accented hallways had become grayscale, littered with black puddles that he knew better than to step into. Wires dangled from the ceiling, and the entire scene just looked...warped. Like Hanzo was viewing the ship through two mirrors across from each other, curved and distorting the very fabric of reality.

He went up the stairs to the bridge, and Gabe was in the centre, curled into a ball. 

“Captain Reyes?” Hanzo slowly entered the bridge. “What’s going on?”

Gabe was unresponsive, so Hanzo came closer. Gabe suddenly turned around, standing up. Hanzo immediately saw it - half of his body and face dissipated into smoke, a black smoke like the monster that had knocked them all out.

“What do you want?” Gabe spat out. 

“I want to help you. What’s going on? Why are we here?”

The co-captain looked conflicted. “You wouldn’t understand. There’s so much you don’t know, Shimada.”

“Then  _ tell me _ . Make me understand, even if we have to be here for years.”

Gabe sighed, leaning back against the console. “Take a seat.” But before Hanzo could even react, gravity seemed to shift and turn the other way, sending him towards the ceiling. Gabe levitated to where Hanzo now lay, and the sliding doors opened.   
  


_ “Back when we were affiliated with the Galactic Space Federation, Jack was the Captain, and I was First Mate. That was the way the Federation wanted it. I wasn’t too happy about that, but one thing led to another and…” _

Below them, a younger version of Jack and Gabe were engaging in a fist fight. Here, Gabe had more longer hair, and Jack’s hair was considerably lighter. The captain deflected one of his first mate’s punches, but Gabriel was able to kick him in the chest. He ran to the console and typed a few commands in, and suddenly the ship listed to the right.

_ “We went our own ways, after that. Bounty hunters, space vigilantes, assassins. But really, we all wanted to go back to the way things were.” _

The scene blurred a bit, before it shifted to the same bridge, but this time it was decorated extravagantly.

_ “I made so many mistakes back then, but Jack still forgave me every time. We promised to start anew, and spend our days drifting amongst the stars, keeping peace as a free agent instead.”  _

Hanzo could see the officers down below. Jack and Gabriel were in some sort of dress uniform. Behind them was Ana, the officiant of the ceremony. A wedding, Hanzo recognized.

Gabe seemed to read Hanzo’s mind, or maybe his confused face was another cue for more information. “Yeah. Lot of emotions that day. Jack and I got married because let’s be honest, we still had it hard for each other. And then...one mission happened.”

The bridge had shifted to the landscape of a barren planet, where Gabe was alone, investigating a strange black growth on a rock.

“You didn’t wear some sort of protective gear?” 

The captain shrugged. “Atmosphere was breathable, I didn’t think it through. Always was a bit of an impulse guy.” 

As if he were exemplifying that, the Gabriel below them touched the black growth, which immediately latched onto him and started growing, surrounding his body until there wasn’t a trace left of his flesh. The captain fell to his knees, trying to fight against whatever had taken over his body, but he was powerless. He began liquifying at first until he was a puddle, making nothing but muffled screams until he began evaporating into a black smoke.

“I spent four days as a living wraith. Had to make up some cover story about breaking my communicator and beacon. The thing was an alien lifeform, it latches onto a host and tries to alter it. Assimilate it, or worse they combine. And what’s even worse?”

They were now in Gabe’s room, where a much more present day Gabriel was gripping at his arm as it started changing in rather inhuman ways.

“It still hasn’t left me. Every now and then, it  _ changes _ me. Do you know how that feels? Having your body work against you in every way possible? Trying to deal with how many extra faces and limbs you get? Nothing Moira could do can help.”

Hanzo shook his head, forced to watch the Gabe below go through a painful transformation, until minutes later he reverted back to his human form out of exhaustion, before starting up as an announcement broadcasted over the system.

_ “Captain Reyes will get his ass down to the deck the moment I put down this microphone. Security Officer Shimada will report to the deck as well, as I think we’ve found something very concerning about his past.” _

“And you can’t tell him?”

“Do you think I can? How do you think he’ll react, after everything that’s happened? The fight, attacking everyone on board, everything changed about the one you love? How could anyone love a monster like me?!”

That got Hanzo thinking. Genji still was looking out for him, even if Hanzo had just rejected Genji and continued on his path of insisting he was a killer. Wait.

“...Because you’re not.” He whispered to himself, before raising his voice, now filled with confidence. “Because you’re not!” Hanzo exclaimed, looking directly at Gabe. “Jack married you, didn’t he? And he loves you, right?”

Gabe nodded tentatively, as if he were trying to believe every word Hanzo spoke. 

“You are only a monster if you say you are. You and Jack both know the truth about you. Take a look back at all of your actions, and think.”

And suddenly, everything below them began flashing by, but Hanzo knew Gabe was reflecting back on himself, and everything they had done. All the tender moments Jack and Gabe shared (and the more...intimate), their interactions. How they built on each other, supported each other even through their differing interests. And not even Jack, too - cooking with Ana, training with Reinhardt, talking with Torbjorn along a hallway, playing cards with Liao, caring for Jesse and Lena and all the other officers aboard the ship.

“No.” Gabe concluded, and Hanzo could see parts of Gabe start to reform. “He wouldn’t.” Once he had become whole, he started fading away, and Hanzo could feel the black void of reality start to fall apart.

Gabe disappeared and Hanzo felt himself falling through, no end to the darkness. It was similar to being in the prison pod, but at the same time he was falling and could still feel every part of his body.

He heard a voice - it was someone, but he couldn’t tell who it was. Genji? Jesse?

_ “Remember everything that you have done in the past. Would you still call yourself a killer?” _

Hanzo thought long and hard, fast forwarding through every little bit of life that he could bring up. Every ramen bowl Genji had pestered Hanzo for, every day Genji had pestered Hanzo but still meant well, every study session they would have where they would turn midterms and exam seasons into competitions.

Would he really have killed Genji after all that?

“No.” He answered, and he felt his eyes closing, drifting off to sleep.

* * *

 

_ One week later _

The bridge was absolutely packed, much so that some of the crew members had taken to standing on the consoles. Normally Ana or Liao would have reprimanded them, but today was special.

Hanzo walked down the pathway to the centre of the room, where the co-captain’s chairs had been moved and the console hidden in a panel below the bridge. The two men were standing in their respective positions, each looking quite proud.

“Hanzo Shimada.” Jack read from a card.  “A prisoner with many jailers. The Shimada Clan, then the Intergalactic Foundation, then the G.S.S _Gibraltar_ , where you had become so worn down you could barely comprehend the support you needed.”

“But, through unknown odds…” Gabe continued. “You were able to solve a problem almost no one could solve - fears of the past, of identity. Because of your bravery - and perhaps, your ability to face yourself and your past - you were able to help us and for that...you have earned yourself an honorary membership aboard the  _ Gibraltar _ . Welcome aboard...Security Officer Hanzo Shimada.”

After the attack, Jack had given Gabe ample time to collect and explain himself. Finding peace with what he had become, Gabriel’s sudden transformations became less of a private thing - it was common now to see him look a bit more monstrous. Currently, Gabe didn’t look too far from his previous human self, but if one looked closely they could see a third eye on the back of his neck.

Jack saluted, and Hanzo followed suit before bowing his head. Gabe placed a medal on Hanzo’s neck, handing him the yellow uniform of security officers. The bridge erupted into applause.

After the celebrations had finished, it was back to work. Hanzo, having attained the position of Security Officer, had received a locker at the armoury, waiting for postings of any upcoming missions.

“So, Security Officer Shimada.” Jesse had pulled up next to him, resting against the wall. “Congratulations. I look forward to working with you.”

“Thank you.” The screen for postings suddenly lit up, displaying one message.

_ “Alert: Distress signal detected on Planet Tortuga. Two security officers required for rescue of one Jean-Baptiste Augustin.” _

Hanzo looked at Jesse, a coy, almost flirty smile on his face. “Care to join me? I could use your help...being a new security officer and all.”

“That a date?”  Jesse grabbed his bag from his locker, and Hanzo picked up his archery gear.   
“There’s only one way to find out, no?”


	4. How Long 'Till We Learn? Dancing is Dangerous

“Calling all Block 1 passengers.”

Jesse looked down at his ticket. Always Block 1. It made sense, but if there was anything Jesse hated about air travel it was the long waits.

At the very least, though, it meant that his flight would be boarding soon. He had spent what was best described as an ungodly amount of time on planes for the past day or so. He had to wake up at the crack of dawn (which wasn’t too hard) just to make sure he could make the plane to Chicago, and then from there it was Chicago to Vienna, where he was currently sitting. And even then it would be another two hours until he got to Venice.

Another chime from the PA system. “Calling all Block 2 passengers.”

Jesse always rode Block 3, always. He wondered, briefly what it was like to ride in premium economy, or even first class. That would be a dream he’d never want to wake from. Well, maybe unless he was flying for nineteen hours. Not even first class would comfort him if he were flying that long.

“Calling all Block 3 passengers.”

That was his cue. Jesse stood up and got in line to board the plane, suitcase in hand. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally managed to work his way into the rows of seats, scanning his ticket for the corresponding seat. He found it, next to an empty aisle seat. Whoever his seatmate would be hadn’t arrived yet. Better yet, maybe there wouldn’t be one at all.

With his bag in the overhead bin and Jesse’s seatbelt fastened, it was only a matter of waiting before the plane would take off. He scanned each fact that walked past, wondering if they would his seatmate. 

The one sitting next to him turned out to be a rather interesting looking man - his hair was tied up in a short ponytail, with a sharp goatee. Compared to laid-back Jesse and his flannel and jeans that made him look like he just got out of a farm, this man was dressed a bit more formal with a blue vest and dark dress pants, each marked with the logo of two dragons. The man, once his suitcase was stowed, almost seemed to collapse in his seat, as if the plane was the sanctuary from a weary journey.

“Long flight?” Jesse asked, a sort of twinkle in his eye.

The man nodded, looking over at his neighbor. “I took a flight from San Francisco, but it got delayed.”

“I know how it is.” Jesse held out his hand. “Name’s Jesse McCree. Travel journalist, based in Santa Fe. Mostly fer vacation spots, hotels, things like that.”

“Hanzo Shimada. I’m a chef and food critic, I go around and review restaurants.”  Hanzo firmly shook Jesse’s hand, and Jesse almost felt a bit of a connection, something between them. Maybe it was their nomadic work, but the journalist knew there would be a nice friendship between them by the end of the flight.

The flight attendants began the routine of closing the doors and giving out the safety instructions, and so, Jesse took out his phone to turn it off, and Hanzo did the same.

“Who are they?” Hanzo asked, and Jesse realized he meant the phone background.

“Huh? Oh, that’s just me, Gabe an’ Sombra.” Jesse pointed to each of their faces. “Gabe’s my dad, he adopted Sombra and I.”

Hanzo hummed in interest at that. “That’s very nice of him. I have a sibling of my own, his name is Genji.” He pulled up a photo of Genji, a man with ridiculously vibrant green hair and a carefree personality that shone through even through the screen. “The laziest, most incessantly annoying person I know, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Sounds like most younger siblings. Sombra’s always on my case, annoying me about my latest article and when it’s comin’ out. In fact, she’s the one who got me into journalism, anyways.”

“Oh? Do tell.” His interest piqued, Hanzo sat up in his seat.

Jesse lowered his voice as the plane began disembarking. “This was way back when I was in high school. I was a rebellious teen who hated school, and my dad, and basically everything. But Sombra didn’t, and she asked me to join the school newspaper with her. I thought it was a bad idea at first.”

“And then what happened? Did you go through a revelation?” Hanzo had a lighthearted look in his eyes.

“Okay, no, not  _ that _ dramatic.  But I did get into writing. I’d make up short stories to put all my angst into. Looking back, they were really embarrassing.”

The plane began going down the runway, and they could feel the landing gear start to take off the runway.

“Blackmail against Jesse McCree. A shame if that were to fall into my hands.” Even if his tone was very serious, there was a smile on Hanzo’s face - one that Jesse knew was rare, even if he had only known Hanzo for about fifteen minutes. 

“What about you? How’d you become a food critic?”

Hanzo rested his head against his seat. “Genji and I had to move out and we shared an apartment, so I took up a job at a restaurant and started cooking for the two of us.”

“Ain’t that sweet. You excited to head around to Italy? I even practiced some of my Italian.”

“You know Italian?” Hanzo raised his eyebrow. “I’d like to hear some.”

To be honest, Jesse learned his Italian watching spaghetti westerns. When he practiced it in front of his co-worker Moira, she sighed and immediately left the room.

“Bohn-a ser-a,  _ signora _ . Can I-a get you-”

“Please, I think that’s enough.” Hanzo sighed, obviously knowing the extent of Jesse’s language skills.. 

The two spent the flight talking about their lives, and when their flight touched down on the tarmac and the doors opened, Hanzo stood up first.

“It was a pleasure flying with you, McCree.” He shook Jesse’s hand. 

Jesse could feel some sort of remorse, sadness that they couldn’t stay and talk longer, but they both had their jobs to do. “Pleasure’s mine. You stay safe now.”

That night, the journalist couldn’t help but think of how much of a kind stranger Hanzo had been. It made a boring flight a little more enjoyable, being able to befriend the person next to you.

If anything, after a month or so Hanzo would probably just be a forgotten memory. Too bad he wouldn’t see him again.

* * *

Jesse saw Hanzo again.

It was around a week after his assignment in Venice ended, and Jesse had almost forgotten Hanzo entirely. Jesse’s next assignment took him to Toronto. His plane touched down at the airport, and Jesse’s hotel was located in the downtown area. Unfortunately, it was a long ways away that was best accessible by the UP Express - a direct train from Pearson Airport to Union Station.

As he boarded the train, Jesse thought he saw a familiar suitcase, but brushed it off.  But as he walked down the aisle he suddenly bumped into someone with enough force to send both of them onto the ground.

“Gah!” Jesse grunted as he managed to cushion his fall. “I-I’m sorry, I wasn’t lookin’ where I was go-” But when he saw who he bumped into, he stopped.

Sitting across from him on the aisle floor, rubbing a sore spot on his arm, was Hanzo Shimada, who hadn’t realized who he had bumped into. “No, I should apologize, I-” He was interrupted by Jesse standing up. The journalist offered a hand to the speechless food critic.

“It’s you.” Hanzo’s eyes were wide, and Jesse couldn’t help but chuckle at the circumstances. What a coincidence! To meet the same man twice, and not only that but have similar destinations? But then again, Toronto was a big city, lots of travel opportunities. Maybe Hanzo had complained to his employers too about overnight flights to Italy.

“Well I’ll be. Didn’t expect to see you here.” Jesse sat in the empty booth next to Hanzo. “How has it been? Last I saw you, you were in Venice. How’s Genji?”

Hanzo seemed pleased to see Jesse again, even if their method of meeting had been unconventional. He took the seat across Jesse. “It’s been good. Venice has many impressive restaurants, and it was beautiful, too. And Genji...still the same as ever. How did your Italian fare?”

“The first person I tried it on ended up knowing English.” Jesse’s face reddened as he remembered the embarrassing moment.

Hanzo’s eyes widened a bit, remembering how bad Jesse’s Italian was from the few seconds he heard. “You actually-”

“Well, no.” The journalist admitted. “I made sure I wasn’t butcherin’ everything I say, unlike what you heard on the plane. Not really looking to learn Italian just for Venice, ‘jest got lucky, that’s all.”

The train began moving, and they could see the railways pass by through the window.

“You know…” Jesse started. “It’s kind of strange, seeing you here. Small world, huh?”

Hanzo was looking out the window, lost in thought. Jesse couldn’t help but stare at the man across from him, wondering what sort of man he was behind the suit, what life he led. “Indeed. Maybe it’s fate, tying us together.”

“Well, I hope you don’t tire of me if this becomes a regular thing.” 

“I don’t think I would.” Hanzo smiled, and his eyes almost made him look like he was...flirting? But Jesse brushed it off, he was overthinking this. “After all, I could hardly forget a character like you.”

If Jesse had been drinking water at that point, he probably would have done a spit take. “Now, what’s that supposed to mean?”

Hanzo was teasing him now. “No offense, but you seem like you’ve stepped out of a Western movie...have you not? Unless you were born into this world with that accent and hat.”

“You didn’t seem like the kind of person who’d joke around. I felt like you were more of a…” Jesse tried to think of something, and the words suddenly popped into mind. “...a straight arrow.”

The food critic was silent for a bit, seeming a bit shocked. “Impressive...you, Jesse McCree, are a very interesting person. How did you guess?”

Jesse caught on to the sudden change of mood. “Guess what?”

Hanzo was about to answer, but shook his head. “N-never mind. Forget I brought it up.”

There was a palpable, now awkward silence between them. Jesse couldn’t help but wonder what exactly he had said that made them go off track.

“So…” He offered, trying to salvage the conversation. “Where are you going after this?”

“Kofi Aromo.” The chef answered. “It’s been a habit of mine, every time I visit somewhere, I always visit the nearest Kofi Aromo, first thing. Would you like to join me?”

Jesse couldn’t have said “Of course!” faster. Was this a date? Jesse certainly didn’t think it was, but as he and Hanzo got off the train and walked through the city, he couldn’t help but feel giddy inside. The familiar green logo of the coffee shop was quickly located, and they stepped inside the cafe.

With their coffee and pastries, the two sat at a table that gave them a nice view of the street outside.

“To be honest, I’ve always liked Kofi Aromo’s pastries. I did a comparison once, on different baked goods by fast food chains, and Kofi Aromo seems to be on par with...what was again, that coffee chain with the hockey player’s name?”

Jesse shrugged. “I feel like I should know it...maybe it’ll come back later. What’s your favourite baked good here?”

“Probably the raspberry cheesecake.” Hanzo had a slice of it in front of him right now, taking a small forkful and putting it into his mouth. “Hm…” He took out a notebook and wrote down a few notes.

“What’s that? Don’t tell me you’re actually detailing  _ Kofi Aromo _ !”

“No, no. I’m simply comparing all of the raspberry cheesecakes I’ve eaten at Kofi Aromo. The best is probably the one at Numbani, close to the airport.” Flipping the notebook, he allowed Jesse to take a look at the extensive list of reviews, written mostly in English with a few notes hastily scribbled in Japanese.

“Numbani, eh? Maybe I should visit that. Hear they’re big on sweets.”

The two made some more idle chatter and jokes as the world went by around them. By the time it was time for Hanzo to check into his hotel and Jesse to check out one of Toronto’s attractions, the sky was painted with light blues and pinks, the sun beginning to set over the waterfront of Lake Ontario.

“Well, it was fun catchin’ up with ya.” Jesse tipped his hat with a wink, the two men just having exited the shop. “Who knows, maybe we’ll see each other again.”

“To you as well. After Toronto...I’m probably going to take a vacation. Visit Genji.” Hanzo headed towards the subway station, stepping down the stairs until he disappeared past the doors. Jesse had a bus to catch in the meantime.

As he waited, he couldn’t help but think of their encounter. Would they ever see each other again? Jesse hoped so, but deep in his heart, he knew that the odds were minimal. Really, what were the chances of seeing Hanzo a third time?

* * *

It hadn’t even been a month before Jesse saw Hanzo again. The journalist felt some sort of emotion upon seeing him, but it was rather indescribable. Relief, definitely, happiness...but maybe he was tired of all these chance meetings. Couldn’t he have some sort of consistency?

After Toronto, Jesse’s next assignment took him to Tokyo. Of course, going to Tokyo meant Sombra was pestering him day in and day out to buy some merch of some obscure anime, or some candy he’d never even heard of, or whatnot. 

* * *

 

_ Chat Log: 8:00 MST _

**Sombra:** do you think you can get me any of that stuff

**Highn00n:** I really don’t think I’d be able to get any of that.

**Sombra:** oh you will

**Sombra:** i did my research, i made sure everything’s in stock

**Highn00n:** But I’m not getting it for you. Get it yourself.

**Sombra:** latest.jpg

**Highn00n:** WTF SOMBRA WHY DO YOU HAVE THAT

**Sombra:** like i said

**Sombra:** you will

**Sombra:** you’re gonna get everything on that list otherwise i’m going to send it to your employers through email

**Sombra:** dw i added like 7000 yen to your account so it should be enough to cancel out

**Highn00n:** Fine.

* * *

And because Jesse was a totally loving brother and not because Sombra was blackmailing him, he had to go all around Tokyo and ride the JR line several times before he had amassed everything on her list, sending her a picture to verify he could keep his job. Jesse was exhausted. He needed a drink. With a quick search of the area, he found a bar and immediately made his way there. Maybe he could stop at the nearest capsule hotel for a nap afterwards.

But when he opened the door, he saw him, sitting on a barstool. For a few seconds, he debilitated standing there, greeting Hanzo or leaving for another bar, but then Hanzo turned around.

The two met eyes, and then Hanzo put his hand to his forehead and sighed. Jesse was certain he was saying something along the lines of ‘You cannot be serious’, but his eyes seemed almost glad, in some way.

Jesse didn’t even realize he was standing in the doorway in shock until Hanzo called out to him. “Well? Are you going to join me?”

“Huh? Oh, uh, yeah. I’m comin’.” Jesse hurried over, taking the seat next to Hanzo.

The two sat together in silent, before Hanzo sighed and called over the bartender, ordering another drink. “What do you drink? I suppose this isn’t the result of some coincidence.”

“It’s not, I swear, I’m just...surprised I’d see you here, is all. I’ll take whiskey.”

“I told you last time I’d visit Genji, no? Go home, as in Japan? You come to my homeland when I’m on vacation and  _ don’t _ expect to run into me at some point in Tokyo?”

A sigh from Jesse. “Fine, fine, mistake on my part, or maybe not.” The bartender returned, with sake for Hanzo and whiskey for Jesse. “ _ Kanpai _ .” Jesse raised his glass. “That means cheers in Japanese, ain’t it?”

Hanzo had a smile on his face as he raised his as well. “Your accent still leaves much to be desired...but yes, you are correct. Cheers.”

The two men drank, until it was evening, loosening up from the awkwardness and catching up with each other. 

“Where are you staying?” Hanzo asked, a red blush across his face. “If you want, you can stay with me for the night.”

Jesse tried to take it in, examining Hanzo with narrowed eyes. “Was gonna turn in at a capsule hotel. Why?”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be with my brother, too. I won’t try anything illicit. You’ll finally get to meet Genji, even if he’s one of the most annoying people on the planet.”

The idea of Genji seemed to win over his curiosity, and so Jesse relented. Besides, he could trust Hanzo, right? 

* * *

Jesse immediately realized why Hanzo said Genji was possible the most annoying person he would ever meet. The moment they entered their shared apartment, he could hear Genji’s voice from what was probably his room, even speaking in English.

“Hanzoooo! Who’d you bring home this time!”

“Genji, I swear. You will not embarrass us both in front of our guest.” Hanzo walked to one of the open doors, peering inside. “And I brought home a cowboy.”

“Wait, you actually got someone?” Genji practically dashed out of his room, his eyes widening as he looked at Jesse. “Oh my god. He really is a cowboy. You’ve got to be kidding me. This can’t be real.”

“Howdy.” Jesse tipped his hat. 

Genji’s mouth was completely open like a fish.

“Jesse, this is my brother, Genji. He makes a living streaming and playing for the Tokyo Titans.”

“U-uh, hey!” Genji flashed a peace sign. “Yeah, I’m a huge streamer to games like  _ Overlook _ or  _ Sea of Tranquility _ . A lot of people say I’m hacking, but really, I’m just that good.”   
  


With Genji’s door shut and the sound of one of his streams going on, that left Hanzo and Jesse with the washroom.

“Would you like to wash up first?” Hanzo offered. “Remember, the shower is for cleaning. The bath is relaxation.”

Jesse grabbed his towel. “Oh, uh, sure.”

As he washed himself with the shower nozzle, he couldn’t help but think of how hospitable Hanzo had been. Why invite him here? Was he really that enamoured with Jesse, or that trusting?

Settling into the bath, he decided to relax, and banished those thoughts from his mind. Now wasn’t the time for mulling over what was going on in Hanzo’s mind.  When he was finished and dried off, Jesse opened the door and let Hanzo into the washroom. “Is there a guest room, or do I sleep on the couch? I’m fine with either.”

Hanzo paused for a few seconds. “Ah...I forgot to tell you. This is Genji’s apartment. His guest room is where I’m sleeping, and he doesn’t have any futons. Are you comfortable with sleeping with me? In the same bed?”

Jesse was positively beet red, but he stammered out an “O-of course!”. 

As they lay together that night, the journalist couldn’t help but feel incredibly awkward. What was he supposed to do? Cuddle? But at the same time, it felt so... _ right _ . Like Jesse wouldn’t mind sleeping next to Hanzo every night. Was this just a crush...or love? Would Hanzo be open to the idea of being in a relationship considering how nomadic their lifestyles were?

Slowly, he reached for Hanzo’s hand, gripping it softly. It felt almost perfect how Hanzo squeezed his hand back. “Hey, Hanzo?” Jesse asked, breaking the silence.

The man across from him stirred. “Hm? What is it?”

“I…” The words were stuck in his throat, and they wouldn’t come out. Jesse was stuck. “I...never mind. I’ll talk to you about it later.”

He spent the rest of that night, and the two weeks after that wondering why saying ‘I think I love you’ would be so hard.

* * *

Numbani was a glimmering city of spires and tramways that seemed to sparkle even when it was raining. Jesse glumly watched rain droplets drip down the window as the plane touched down.

He had been in this state since Japan. Not even baking his favourite biscochitos made him more miserable with no food critic to try them. The hotel wasn’t too far from the airport, and as he walked down the escalators to the main entrance, he couldn’t help but notice all the couples around him, how happy they looked.

The hotel wasn’t terrible quality, and it would do. It was within close proximity of the Numbani Heritage Museum, at least, so at least Jesse’s first stop wouldn’t be terrible on his feet. Once he had checked in and he had his key, he went up the elevator to the third floor.

“Three-nineteen...three-nineteen.” Reciting the room number to himself, Jesse found himself at room 319. Without warning, though, the door next to him - 317 - opened, and he saw Hanzo again. Their eyes met for a second - which extended to five, and then fifteen before Jesse finally spoke.

It was relieving, in a sort, to see Hanzo again, but it didn’t stop him from saying “This is ridiculous.”

“I agree.” Hanzo sighed, already resembling a teacher who had to deal with a troublesome student multiple times. “This is starting to become tiring.”

“What, seeing each other?”

“N-no!” Jesse swore he saw Hanzo blush. “I like seeing you, it’s just...seeing each other like this. Knowing we’ll be apart in thirty minutes.”

It was just Jesse and Hanzo in the hallway, alone together. “You know, it doesn’t have to be like that. Hanzo, there’s something I need to tell ya.”

“What is it?”

It was time. Jesse might now ever get a chance like this again. “I...have a attraction to ya, Hanzo. When we were in Tokyo it felt...right. Like we were meant to do this.”

For a while Hanzo was silent once more, and Jesse felt like he had kicked a hornet’s nest with that confession. What if Hanzo wasn’t into guys? Or worse, Jesse wasn’t Hanzo’s type? 

“I...I have to admit, I thought you didn’t have a crush on me, but...I feel the same way.” Hanzo took Jesse’s hands. “I wouldn’t mind being with you, it’s just…”

Jesse felt like he was walking on air, like every weight dragging him down had been cut loose. “What is it?” He asked.

“Today is my last day here in Numbani.” Hanzo looked like he was about to be murdered for what he had just said. “My flight is tomorrow afternoon.”

Ah. So that was the drawback. Jesse knew the world was toying with them, pushing them together only to tear them apart once more. “I see...so we only have tonight then?”

Hanzo nodded, and Jesse knew what he had to do. Or what he wanted to do. “How about we just go out? A movie, dinner...maybe something more?”

“I would love that. Our first official date.” Hanzo smiled, another rare smile that made Jesse’s heart burn with pride.

* * *

 

When Jesse came to, Hanzo was no longer sleeping with him, no familiar warmth holding his hand. He must have already flown back to wherever he lived. No matter what Jesse did, Hanzo was always on his mind, even at the Numbani Heritage Museum, or visiting the shops.

The moment his flight touched down in Santa Fe and Jesse had cleared a few vacation days with his employers, he headed straight to his apartment and opened up his laptop. How could he contact Hanzo Shimada?

Social media was his first guess. But every search of “Hanzo Shimada” came up with all the wrong results. No one who even resembled the man on the plane he had sat next to, the man he had shared all those tender, if impromptu moments.

His next stop was actually searching up his name - he had found his base of operations in San Francisco, working as a food columnist and critic for a news site. That seemed to line up, and everything was confirmed as he found Hanzo’s picture.

So, he had found Hanzo, but Hanzo didn’t have any contact information and no way to track him down again. Or was there?

Jesse explored the food columnist’s site a bit more, and found a link suggestion box.

_ “Write down your suggestions for our next place to tour!”   _ The text read. Jesse began typing.

_ “Santa Fe seems like a nice place to visit. Lots of good food, a few high class and local restaurants that are perfect for all types of palates. Who knows, ya might make a few lasting memories, or revisit a few old ones!” _

He pressed enter, and sighed. What really were the chances that Hanzo actually read these? The next day he checked the website like his life depended on it, and the next day after that. Nonetheless, it was still the same site.

And then it happened. Jesse saw a new video uploaded onto the site - an interview of a few journalists who were leaving. While the video didn’t seem important, Jesse paused when he saw Hanzo on the thumbnail. 

“No way.” He breathed. He clicked and began scrolling through the feed, until he saw Hanzo’s face.

“...and while we may be exchanging some familiar faces with fresh, new people, please know that we’ll still be reviewing the food and culture of cities around the world.” The announcer gestured to Hanzo. “So, we’ll be saying goodbye to Hanzo Shimada, one of our oldest critics here. Hanzo, over your career here you’ve become an expert on most local cuisines. Which city do you plan on visiting next?”

“Hm...I’m thinking...Santa Fe.” The man smiled at the camera, and for a moment it almost looked like he was giving a knowing smile to Jesse. “I haven’t visited it yet, and Santa Fe seems like a very friendly place.”

Jesse reached for his phone and texted Sombra.

* * *

_  
Chat Log: 15:32 _

**Highn00n:** Sombra, I need you to do me a favour.

**Sombra:** is it about that hanzo dude

**Highn00n:** what? How’d you know?

**Sombra:** idioto. i’ve been tracking you in your travels forever. you and this dude named hanzo keep on bumping into each other

**Sombra:** plane seats, the same hotel rooms

**Sombra:** i even have the audio logs from toronto and numbani

**Sombra:** splendid blackmail, what happened in numbani

**Highn00n:** Sombra, I swear if you try to blackmail me with that.

**Sombra:** okay fine. what do you need

**Highn00n:** do you know if he’s bought flight tickets?

**Sombra:** gimme a sec

**Sombra:** k it says here that he bought one going from san fran to santa fe in two days, one way

**Highn00n:** Got it. Thanks!

**Sombra:** you owe me for this one

* * *

When the day arrived, Jesse drove in his pickup truck to Santa Fe Municipal Airport, where Hanzo’s flight would be touching down. At the arrivals section he waited, nervously checking each arrival board. The exact flight that Hanzo was taken stopped over at Phoenix, and was due to arrive in an hour.

The journalist nervously untied and re-tied the ribbon that adorned the small box of cookies he had baked. Biscochitos were always his favourite thing to bake, and Hanzo hadn’t even gotten to try them yet.

The doors opened and a new crowd of people flooded out - the San Francisco flight. Jesse looked around for a familiar flash of blue.

At the very end, Jesse saw him and it felt like the pit in his chest had vanished. “Hanzo!” He called out, and the Japanese man looked up. Jesse could see his eyes visibly brighten.

“Jesse!” Hanzo and Jesse met and before he could react, Hanzo took Jesse’s face in his hands, pressing both of their lips together.

Their first kiss. Jesse hadn’t even realized it, but he had closed his eyes. He wanted to freeze time itself and live in the moment forever. Finally they broke apart, and Jesse chuckled at how lovestruck he had been. “It’s been a while, Hanzo. Told ya I’d come through.” 

“I’ve been waiting to do that since Numbani.” Hanzo had quite a large suitcase.  The food critic looked down at the box in Jesse’s hands. “Oh? A gift for me?” Jesse opened the parcel, and Hanzo took a tentative bite of one of the cookies.

“Well, how is it?” Jesse asked.

“I’ll be honest with you, it’s a bit hard for my taste. But it’s delicious.” Hanzo took hold of Jesse’s hand, and the two began walking to the journalist’s truck.

“So, what’re you thinkin’ of doing now that yer in Santa Fe?” Jesse asked. “Can’t imagine you’d be wantin’ to travel. Hell, I got a lot of editing to do for my next article.”

“I’m thinking...perhaps I’ll start a restaurant, or a bakery.” Hanzo seemed pleased by that thought. “Yes...that seems about right. I have a lot ahead of me moving here, some of my belongings are still in San Francisco. I’ll have to find an apartment or rent-”

“Oh, no, you don’t need to do that. You can always just crash with me, considering, y’know, we’re together.”

Hanzo sighed in contentment as they approached the truck, loading his suitcase into the bed and getting in the front seat next to Jesse. “Genji will have a field day with this. I haven’t told him yet about anything.”

“Well, we got a whole lot ahead of us then.” Turning on the ignition, Jesse reversed and began driving down the roads. “It’s great to see ya.”

And ahead of them was another lovely day.


	5. The Music They Constantly Play Says Nothing to Me About My Life

The sky was a pleasant shade, navy tinted purple that faded into the evening. Underneath was a field - long grasses and shrubbery waved around in the wind.

A man rose, yet despite being in the field his clothes showed no sign of dirt or stains. They were clean, a black jacket over a simple, light blue dress shirt amongst dark pants and his hair tied into a short, bun-like ponytail. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small tablet, circular in shape.

“Athena.” He spoke. “Where do I go from here?”

_ “Proceed to The Crossroads.”  _ The device’s voice was female, West African accented.  _ “Wait for your match at the West Entrance restaurant, table 10.”  _ The screen displayed a map, directing the man to a pathway.

He began walking, following the navigational directions until he found himself at a large, modern, minimalist-styled building, with large glass walls and open spaces. A shopping mall, but only on the second floor above. In the centre in front of him was a courtyard, with several roads pointing out in the eight cardinal directions, branching off to locations unknown.

Identifying the West Entrance, the man proceeded up the stairs to the restaurant.

“Hanzo Shimada?” The omnic at the front asked, to which he nodded. “Your table is on the right, near the fountain.”

Hanzo proceeded to his table, sitting down and waiting. “Athena.” He tentatively asked. “What does my first match look like?”

_ “You will not be allowed to view your partner remotely until they have arrived.” _

Sighing, Hanzo sat back. With each new person he saw, he asked the same thing - “Athena, is this my partner?” Of course, Athena always answered with a no, and Hanzo wondered if his partner had gotten lost, or blown him off. Was it possible to blow someone off in the System?

And then a man walked into the restaurant, and right to his his table. He was tanned and scruffy, with a rather unkempt beard and hair. He was wearing a light brown dress shirt and jeans, and Hanzo would be lying if he said he didn’t expect a cowboy hat.

“Howdy.” He drawled. “You my date?”

And he spoke like he just came out of a Western movie, too. This wasn’t a joke, right?

“Athena?” Hanzo took out the circular tablet, his palm squeezing its round surface. “This is real, right?”

“ _ I can confirm that this is your partner. _ ”

“Name’s Jesse.” The two shook hands, although Hanzo was more cautious. “I’m real, I promise. Well, last time I checked.”

Hanzo snorted a bit. “I think I’ve gone through enough today.”

Jesse sat down across from him. “I can tell. First time on the System too?”

His partner nodded, looking around the table. “Hm, there’s no menu here. How do we order?”

“We could always shout.” Jesse suggested, and Hanzo smiled a bit.

_ “That will not be necessary. Menu choice has already been decided.” _ As soon as Athena had finished, an omnic waiter set down two plates in front of them. In front of Hanzo was a salmon dish, while Jesse had steak.

“It’s strange...I feel like I’ve had this meal with you before.”  Hanzo took a piece of salmon and put it in his mouth, nodding at the taste. “Mm. This is good.” 

“Is that so? You think we’re allowed to take a piece from each other?”

Hanzo looked up at the nearest security guard, a few tables away. “Well, let’s try it.”

Jesse cut off a piece of his steak and gave it to Hanzo, who returned a forkful of his salmon.

“You’re right, it does taste delicious.” Jesse looked behind him at the security guard, who tapped the taser hanging from their belt. Cautiously, he returned his gaze to Hanzo. “Looks like they’re not too happy about it though.”

“I see...should we check out expiry dates?” Hanzo pulled out his tablet, as did Jesse, both swiping until they found the panel.

“Says here we gotta tap at the same time. Ready? Three, two...one.”

Hanzo and Jesse both tapped the surface of their tablets at the same time, and it began loading a time. Soon a number appeared on-screen - three years, which rapidly counted down until it got into months, then weeks, then days until it got to hours.

“...Twelve hours.” Hanzo read out once it finished. “That’s a bit…”

“A bit short, yeah.” The numbers started counting down. “We should probably hurry up and eat. I’ll race ya.”

The Japanese man smiled, digging into his salmon. “You’re on.”

At the end, it was Jesse who won, and the two exited the restaurant and headed downstairs to where the roads were. Here, small cars drove through, stopping for couples to get in.

One such car rolled up in front of Jesse and Hanzo. “Guess this must be us. After you.” Jesse gestured to the seats, and climbed in after Hanzo did. The car started off, heading down one of the eight roads before it started branching off. On the screen in front of them, the two could see the border fence, and beyond it, an enormous mountain.

Soon they arrived at a quaint cottage area, and the car stopped, allowing the two to get out and enter their living space.

“So, should I open it, or…?” Jesse held his palm towards the black panel next to the door.

Hanzo motioned to let Jesse go, and Jesse moved his hand to activate the panel before he was beaten to it by his partner’s hand. “Too slow. Perhaps next time, cowboy.”

Jesse chuckled at that, and opened the door, but only wide enough to peek inside. He feigned a shocked reaction. “Well now. Didn’t expect all the...chains, and torture devices. I hope you’re fine living in a sex dungeon. At least they have a mini fridge, but I was kinda hopin’ something less extreme.”

“You’re kidding.” Hanzo still had a faint smile on his face.

“Of course I am. It looks fine.” Jesse opened the door for Hanzo, and they went inside.

The living space was, as Jesse said, not a dungeon of any sorts. The door opened up into the living room with the kitchen to their right, and walking through a passageway between the living room and kitchen led to the bedroom, with a bathroom attached.

“I’ll go...use the washroom.” Hanzo slid the door open and closed it swiftly without a word. But, instead, he put down the toilet cover and sat without doing any business, pulling out his tablet.

“Athena, what do we do? We only have about...what, ten hours?”

_ “Eleven.” _ Athena corrected.  _ “Please elaborate on ‘What do we do?’” _

“Are we supposed to just...have sex? Is that what this is?”

_ “Sex is not a required part of any relationship the System gives you. In fact, once a relationship begins, there are no required actions.” _

Hanzo sighed, put his tablet back in his pocket and exited the room.

In the meantime, Jesse was consulting with Athena as well.

“Athena, help me out here. Are we supposed to jest...go at it?”

_ “Please define ‘go at it’.” _

Jesse shook his head. “Never mind. Why would you pair me up with someone if it’s for twelve hours?”

_ “Everything happens for a reason. All relationships provide the System with valuable data.” _

Hanzo exited the bathroom, and Jesse immediately put away his device.

“So...I guess we just have a few hours all to ourselves.” Hanzo looked around the space. “To be honest...I’m not sure what to do.”

“I thought Athena paired us up to have sex.” Jesse realized what he said and immediately blushed, shaking his head. “I-I mean, if that’s okay with ya, it’s jest-”

Hanzo smiled, holding up his hand to silence his partner’s concerns. “Don’t worry. We could always take it slow.”

“Take it slow, in twelve hours?” Jesse wryly smiled, and the two laughed. “It’s fine if you’re not up for it, I could always just sleep on the sofa.”

“You’d be curled up into a ball.” The Japanese man pointed out.

Jesse lay down on the sofa, squeezing and contorting until his stocky body fit within, before settling on a pose, turning to his side and putting one hand on his hip and the other holding his head up, as if he was about to ask Hanzo to paint him like a French girl. “Oh, no, this is fine, I could do this all night. You’re welcome to join me.”

* * *

 

The night was quiet, but it was a comfortable silence that Hanzo and Jesse shared on the bed, together.

“When I think about it…” Hanzo started, breaking the silence. “It must have been stressful before the System, having to decide every single part of a relationship. When to start it, when to end it, how to end it…”

“Yeah. Kind of a shame this is only going to last twelve hours, though.” Jesse and Hanzo continued looking up at the ceiling.

It wasn’t long before Hanzo moved his hand to Jesse’s, holding it firmly, and Jesse reassuringly squeezed his hand.

“It’ll be fine. I promise.”

Hanzo felt complete then, and he smiled, knowing he felt safe and comfortable, cared for by the man he slept next to.  In the morning, Jesse and Hanzo woke, still holding hands, a bit groggy but nonetheless content.

“I gotta say, that was...nice.” Jesse said, and Hanzo couldn’t help but agree. They lay there for a few minutes before Hanzo checked the expiry date - one hour to go. 

“We should probably hurry up and get breakfast soon.” Hanzo rose from his bed, getting ready to brush his teeth. Jesse wasn’t far behind. When they entered the kitchen, the refrigerator’s front lit up, a screen that showed a menu.

_ “Would you like to cook your breakfast or have it supplied according to the choices that you will most likely respond to positively?”  _ Athena asked from both of their advices, and the two men looked at each other.

“Cook.” Jesse answered, and the fridge unlocked, revealing several ingredients. Jesse took out the tray of ingredients. “Pancakes.” He observed, looking over the bowls of flour and baking soda. “Not much of a choice here, do we?”

“I suppose we don’t.” The two cooked together as the morning light began streaming in, and took breakfast outside where they basked in the sunlight, eating their pancakes. Nothing but the sounds of wind brushing through the trees, and the faraway sound of geese.

Their breakfast was interrupted by a slight ping from their devices - signalling that there were fifteen minutes to go in their relationship. Hanzo collected the dishes and washed them, humming to himself.

Jesse seemed like a good person, and something clicked, but he wasn’t sure what. Their personalities were different, with Jesse being more laid back and relaxed, but they shared some sort of similarity. Their sense of humour? 

The two waited outside for the approaching cars to carry them off elsewhere, looking at the timer counting down until there was one minute.

“Y’know, it was awful nice gettin’ to spend a night with you. Wouldn’t mind doin’ it again.” Jesse smiled as the device began beeping to signal the last few seconds.

“I would not mind being with you as well.” Hanzo boarded his car, as did Jesse. “It was pleasant.”

As the cars began driving away, Jesse shouted something over the noise of the engine. “Just sayin’, if we do this again then you’d totally get it!”

* * *

Hanzo pulled back on the bow, until his right thumb was almost touching his chin, before releasing and letting the arrow soar through the air until it hit the bullseye. “Athena, I don’t get it. Why would you pair me up with someone if only for twelve hours?”

_ “Everything happens for a reason. The System gains data based on each relationship until it can safely determine an Ultimate Match with a 99.9% chance of success.” _

Jesse huffed as he hiked up the trail. “Yeah, but I barely made a move, the System might as well-”

_ “The System does not make preliminary judgements.” _

Hanzo took out another arrow, setting it into his bow. “So even something as trivial as Jesse will matter?”

_ “All interactions and choices matter to the System. The System will use this data to find your Ultimate Match.” _

Jesse sat down in the grass, looking over the complex. “I know, I know, and I’ll get to leave this place. It’s just...when do I know it? How can I trust the System?”

_ “Everything happens for a reason.” _

Another ping, and Hanzo took the tablet off his belt. “Huh?”

_ “Another relationship has been generated.” _

Hanzo set down his bow. “I should get ready.” Already thoughts were swimming through his mind of his next partner - who would they look like? Would they respond to him well?

Another ping, and Jesse looked at his tablet. “What now, Athena?”

_ “Another relationship generated. Please report to the Crossroads.” _

Jesse got up. “I should have enough time for a shower, right?”

_ “That is debatable.” _

Hanzo rushed through the front area of the restaurant. “Athena? Where is my match?”

_ “Table four.” _

Table four was nestled in the back corner, where a woman of Indian origin was sitting, seeming a bit impatient. She looked up at Hanzo, her judging eyes looking over every little part of his outfit and his appearance.

“...Hello.” He greeted, taking the seat across from her. “Sorry I’m late. I’m Hanzo.” 

“Satya.” The woman across from him pursed her lips. “I’ll let it slide...for now.” The two sat at the table, awkwardly waiting for the server to bring them the food.

“So, shall we get to it?” She asked. “The expiry dates?”

Hanzo took out his tablet. “Ah, yes.” Once Satya had taken hers out, they pressed it together and awaited the expiry date to load.

“...Six months.” Satya read out. “Interesting.”

First twelve hours, and then six months? This was puzzling, but at the very least Hanzo wasn’t about to question it. They were about halfway through their meal when Satya spoke up.

“If I am to be honest, my first impression of you leaves much to be desired.”

“Oh?” Hanzo raised an eyebrow as he continued eating. “And what do you think?”

“Hm...you were late, for one, and your goatee seems rather unkempt. To be honest, my last partner, Jamie was a bit...sloppy for my tastes.”

“I can assure you, Satya, I’m not as unorganized as you believe me to be.” Hanzo reassured. “But I do sense a kindred spirit…tell me, are you typically disciplined? Organized?”

“Order and discipline?” She put a hand to her mouth, chuckling a bit. “Perhaps you and I are more alike than I thought…”

Meanwhile, Jesse walked slowly to his table. There wasn’t a rush now, was there? Who cared if he was a little late? “Athena?” He asked. “Who’s my partner?”

_ “Identity cannot be confirmed unless a personal introduction has been made. There is no need to worry, you will see them as soon as you enter the building.” _

That last part wasn’t really reassuring at all, but Jesse knew exactly what Athena meant when he entered the restaurant. Everyone else had a normal height, but there was one man who towered above them all, and looked especially older.

“Oh my god. Athena, is that my partner?”

_ “Again, the identity of your partner cannot be confirmed unless a personal introduction has been made.” _

Jesse proceeded over to the table...which was right where this giant was sitting. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Ah, you must be my match! Greetings, I am Reinhardt Wilhelm, at your service!” The giant stood up, and Jesse could see how big he was standing - his head almost seemed to brush the ceiling lights.

_ “Identity confirmed.” _

Jesse shushed his device, before taking it out. “There’s no way. Athena, is this a joke?”

_ “The System does not make a mistake.” _

“Do not fret, my friend!” But before he could even react, he was enveloped within the man’s tree trunk-like arms, crushing his rib cage and killing him instantly.

 

Nah, just kidding. I’m not going to end the story like that, we’re not even halfway through. 

“Do not fret, my friend!” But before he could even react, he was enveloped within the man’s tree trunk-like arms, and it felt like the very air in his lungs were getting squeezed out of him, much so that he had to take a few breaths when he was released from the vice-like grip.

“I-I’m Jesse.” He weakly grinned, before collapsing into the booth. “Okay, I’m gonna be straight with you, Rein. I’m not sure what the hell the System was on when they paired us up, but are you okay with…” He gestured wildly between the two of them. “I mean, I’m fine with it to be honest, are you?”

“Don’t worry, I don’t mind the age difference. I’m an old hand at this system!”

Suddenly, Jesse was glad that this wasn’t his Ultimate Match. “Alright...you wanna check your expiry date?”

“Of course, of course, where are my manners?” Rein took out his tablet, and the two pressed it at the same time. “...Hm, the shortest one yet. Four months.”

Considering Reinhardt was the second matchup Jesse had, he wasn’t sure which was worse - living with an actual giant for four months or having a twelve hour matchup.

Hanzo and Satya faced each other on the bed, sitting across from each other.

“So, would you like to take any...action?” Hanzo asked. Part of him didn’t really want to, but part of him felt pressured by the many stories he had heard. 

Satya hummed in thought, before shaking her head. “I think...no. I do not wish offense, but I think it’s better if we just remain friends, or roommates. Perhaps I may change my mind later.”

Hanzo stared up at the ceiling for the majority of the night. Satya slept away from him and he couldn’t help but feel alone.

The next six months were admittedly not good, but not terrible. Satya proved a good roommate, orderly and disciplined. Whenever she raised a fuss, it was usually about out of place things - the spice or dish rack, or something left uncleaned.

He appreciated both of his partners being such blessings and not someone he would despise, but he was craving some form of release. And not just sexual, either - there was a part of him impatiently waiting for the System to hurry up and find his Ultimate Match.

* * *

Upon entering the space that they lived in, Jesse couldn’t help but get a first hand taste of how utterly dense Reinhardt Wilhelm was.

“Y’know, it’s a bit hot in here…” Jesse began unbuttoning his shirt. In the meantime, Reinhardt had his back turned, examining the kitchen.

“Is it? I don’t think so.”

Sighing, Jesse undid his pants, letting them slide down to the ground audibly.

Reinhardt turned around, realizing that Jesse had undressed. “Jesse! What are you doing, you’ll catch a cold!”

How dense could this guy be? Jesse sighed. “Reinhardt. I want to  _ fuck _ .”

The older man shook his head vehemently. “Oh, no, no, no, you don’t want to do that. It’s just I’m a bit…”

A bit what? Jesse was certain he could handle a rough partner. Kinky? Jesse wasn’t well versed in that, so interest might be a problem…

Reinhardt undid his pants, and Jesse’s eyes widened. There was no way this was remotely possible, but there it was in front of him. “B-big.” His mouth was salivating, and he automatically reached for the tablet, checking off every consent box.

“Jesse, I don’t want to hurt you.” Reinhardt pulled his pants back up, and Jesse made himself tear up, bringing out his puppy eyes. The older man’s eyes softened, and he relented. “Fine, but just oral, and don’t try to deepthroat me or you’ll lose your fuck privileges.” He reluctantly checked off each consent box as well.

Jesse rolled his eyes. His first time knowing someone so intimately and he needed  _ fuck privileges _ . But without warning, he had gone too far, and he had to pull out just to cough a bit. Reinhardt’s face was all too telling, like he had this talk many times.

That night, when they lay in bed, he couldn’t help but stare up at the ceiling and wonder how his life had come to this. Reinhardt rolled over between his deafening snores, latching onto Jesse and hugging him close, so close it was like back at the restaurant again.

“Mmmmf! Mmmf!” Jesse managed to worm his way out of the tight grasp, gasping for breath. His hand slammed on his device, checking the expiry date.

_ 3 months, 28 days, 23 hours, 5 minutes and 2 seconds left. _

Well, it could be worse.

* * *

After Reinhardt, Jesse felt a bit empty (in more ways than one), but it wasn’t long before Athena had directed him back to the Crossroads for his third relationship.

His next relationship was a woman who was relatively the same age as him, with white hair in a bob cut that went long on one side. She looked sharp, in a black blazer and pants. The two stared at each other, and the tension was automatically clear.

“Hey.” She greeted, her eyes wary and her tone venomous like a viper. “I’m Elizabeth, but you can call me Ashe. You’re late.”

“You started without me?” Jesse stared incredulously at Ashe’s half-eaten plate.

“I was hungry.” She pulled out her tablet. “Well, let’s get it over with.” She tapped on her tablet to check the expiry date, as did Jesse. “Seven days...not bad, if you ask me.”

Jesse gulped. Surely Ashe wasn’t going to kill him, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t hoping he’d make it through unscathed. And after seven days of tense stare-offs, passive-aggressive exchanges and a big argument on Day 3 about lifestyle choices, Jesse felt an enormous weight off his shoulders as the timer counted down from ten seconds.

“Let’s not do that ever again.” He said to Ashe as they exited their quarters.

She snorted. “Wow, Jesse. Ten seconds left and I finally agree with you for the first time.”

* * *

After Ashe was Sombra. The thing was with Sombra was that she hadn’t turned up to the meeting with Jesse...nor did she arrive at all. Jesse nonetheless had a good meal of pasta. He checked the expiry date despite the warning from Athena that  _ “one sided observation may compromise the nature of the relationship.” _ , to a time of three weeks.

Jesse had taken the car to his living space alone, and was in the middle of a book on Week 2 when he suddenly felt a finger on his nose. “Boop.” A woman said from behind him. “Been here all along.”

The man dropped his book and screamed, scuttling on the floor. Behind the sofa was a woman, a Latina with her hair shaved on one side and dyed purple, wearing a white blouse and dark pants, with a purple scarf wrapped around her neck.

“Okay, I’ve had my fun. No offense, but you’re just not my type. I’m out of here.” And as swiftly as she came, she left.

Yeah, we don’t really talk about Sombra.

* * *

Hanzo and Satya stood outside as the seconds counted down, and when they left, they exchanged no words. It hadn’t been fifteen seconds before a second tone sounded from his device, and looking behind him, the same thing had happened to Satya. “Athena, what’s this?”

_ “A Pairing Day has been set for tomorrow between Jack and Gabriel. Please report to the ceremonial grounds at 4 pm.” _

Hanzo’s car took him back to the domicile of the people who were between relationships - a capsule hotel that spanned three floors. Entering the lobby, he placed his tablet at the turnstile, stepping into the locker room. As usual, Hanzo pressed his tablet to unlock his locker as well.

_ “Your outfit has been pre-determined based on your fashion choices and taste.” _

Hanzo took out the the clothes underneath - a black, vest-like blazer had been added to his usual outfit of blues and grays. That was it? Just that blazer?

Sighing, he washed up and took the elevator up to the third floor, where the men slept. Crawling up the ladder to his capsule, he slid the door shut and lay down, staring up the ceiling. Briefly, he wondered if he would see anyone familiar at the Pairing Day. Of course he would, everyone was invited, right?

The ceremonial grounds had been decorated lavishly, with strings of lanterns roped from trees, criss-crossing each other over the array of chairs everyone sat on.

Jack and Gabe were a happy couple, standing front and centre, giving their speech to the crowd. Both were a bit older than most of the young people - if Hanzo had to guess, he would put them at around 50.

“...I know we’re old farts and all, but take my word for it this time. Put your trust in the System.” Jack finished, kissing Gabe on the cheek. “I mean, look what I scored, am I right?”

“Jack!” Gabe admonished jokingly, his face turning a bit red. “But really, it does work. I had my doubts at first, but when I met Jack, I swear, it was like everything clicked for us.”

As everyone clapped, Hanzo couldn’t help but feel a bit disillusioned with the System. Satya was fine and all, but neither of them had done anything romantic. Jesse was more preferable, but they had been paired for only twelve hours.

These thoughts lasted into the evening, even as Hanzo put some food on his plate. Jack and Gabe’s pairing had made for some rather...interesting food combinations - there was some part of Hanzo that didn’t think midwestern food and Latin food exactly went together. At least the pastries were delicious.

“Hey.” Someone said behind him, and Hanzo turned around, smiling as he saw someone familiar. 

“Jesse.” He greeted. “How have you been? I haven’t seen you in a long time.”

“Been around a lot. Hadn’t gotten any action, but I’m hopin’ for it.” 

Hanzo had been thinking about Jesse all through Satya’s “relationship”, (He calls it that, but it’s more akin to “roommateship” if anything) and if he could, he wanted to run off with Jesse and get to know him better.

“Jesse, I...how about we spend some time together?” He offered, and at that moment, Jack and Gabe were proceeding together to the car that would take them outside of the boundaries. “Now’s our chance.”

The man across from him looked nervous at first, unsure of what to do, but he finally nodded. “I know a place. Let’s go.” And the two ran off, through a secluded trail and into the clearing.

_ “Warning: Relationships outside of the System may result in a later penalty.” _

“And you can shut up.” Jesse pocketed his device, as did Hanzo, and they lay down together, looking at the stars. “Ain’t it beautiful? The night sky?”

Hanzo nodded, and at first he wanted to say something, but ultimately, was it really worth it? To tell Jesse how much he longed to be with him? “It is.” He settled for, and nothing more, nothing less.

And so the two lay, in the silence of nature, until Hanzo broke the silence once more.

“If you had to pick an Ultimate Match...what kind of person would it be?”

Jesse hummed in thought. “Well, I’m a bit of a freeloader, a wanderer if you may. So I guess someone who can...reign me in? Sort of a...straight arrow, in a way, someone who gets my way.”

“I’m pretty sure you just described me.”

“Well, who’s your match, Hanzo? Any thoughts?”

Hanzo thought for a few seconds. “You.” He answered, but shook his head. “But really, someone free spirited, I suppose. Opposites attract and all...and to be honest…” Hanzo trailed off. “Odd, I can’t remember why, or who, but I know someone has been telling me to loosen up.”

Jesse shrugged. “Hell if I know. Try not to worry about it too much.” And the two continued their time together, until they had to go their separate ways.

* * *

 

Hanzo’s next relationship took him somewhere familiar, the very first restaurant he had gone to. As he walked past diners and guards and waiters, he made his way to the exact table where he had met Jesse. And there he sat, same as ever.

“It’s you.” He stopped dead in his tracks. “You’re kidding, there’s no way.” Jesse stood up and Hanzo embraced him. He didn’t want to let go, but Hanzo broke the hug and sat back down, with the waiters soon giving them their meals.

“What’re the chances, huh?” Jesse twirled the spaghetti on his fork. “We spend the night talking about how we’d be perfect for each other, and here we are.”

“Indeed, it’s strange.” Hanzo briefly looked at the device in his hands, pocketing it back and 

His partner had noticed Hanzo’s glance and shook his head. “Let’s not check our expiry dates. To be honest...I like being with you, and I don’t want our relationship to end up being another few hours. Let’s just sit back, enjoy the meal!”

But all through the meal, Hanzo couldn’t keep his mind off the date. He knew it wasn’t going to last. Even on their way to the living quarters, he couldn’t get his mind off of tapping that screen and finding out how long they had. Well, that was until Jesse brought something up.

“You know, I did say you were going to get it last time.”

Hanzo’s face couldn’t have turned red quicker. “Jesse!”

“What, no one’s listening!”

Embarrassing as it was, Jesse was right. Hanzo had been holding himself back, and maybe he did want to sleep with him. “You’re right.” A sigh escaped his mouth.

Jesse chuckled. “I get to see your di-ick,” He sang, a sort of chanty song. “I get to see your di-ick!”

Hanzo placed his head in his hands, hoping blocking his vision was suffice enough to block out his hearing. But through the humiliation of Jesse’s teasing, the moment the door closed, Jesse had Hanzo pinned against the closest wall, kissing him fervently and unbuttoning his shirt.

“Hanzo, babe, I’ve been waiting five months for this.” Jesse breathed, and Hanzo thought he could smell whiskey or bourbon on his breath.

“Me too.” The Japanese man helped Jesse unbutton his shirt as well. “Finally, I get to find out how long you can last.” He could feel emotion in his chest just waiting to burst out, so many feelings that he couldn’t tell what he was feeling except for desire and need for Jesse, and nothing else.

* * *

 

The next morning, Hanzo had sat up in bed, tying his hair back up. He thumbed over his circular tablet, flipping it over in his hand once he had finished, dressed in nothing but blue shorts and a simple black t-shirt.

“Really, Hanzo? You’re still worryin’ ‘bout that?” Jesse had awoken, looking at Hanzo sympathetically.

“I-I’m sorry, it’s just-” Hanzo was interrupted by a wave of his hand.

“Nothin’ to be sorry about, Han. If it’ll give you peace of mind, I’ll do it, it’s just...we’ll know our relationship will end.”

Hanzo looked down at the tablet. “I suppose so.”

“Lemme get ready, and we’ll do it at breakfast.” Jesse stood up, hastily pulling on a simple red shirt before going into the bathroom to freshen up. When he exited, Hanzo had already made breakfast - already, pancakes, just as it had been last time.

“So much for freedom of choice.” Hanzo watched Jesse with amusement as he flicked through the refrigerator’s options, before huffing and sitting down. “Well, let’s get to it.” The two pulled their devices out, and swiped to the expiry date tab.

“Three, two, one.” They tapped, and the timer began generating, until…

“Three years? That’s not so bad.” Hanzo breathed a sigh of relief, feeling an enormous weight off his shoulders. “If we hadn’t, I probably would have checked it, and that would have been much worse.”

There was another chime from their devices, and Athena spoke.  _ “Recalibrating.” _

The timer began quickly counting down until it reached three days.  _ “Penalty applied. Relationship reduced by 99.7%.” _

Jesse and Hanzo were speechless, until Jesse stood up and hurled the tablet at the wall, where it harmlessly bounced off. “God damn it!” He shouted.

_ “Destruction of property is not allowed. Further penalty of six hours applied.” _

He turned his gaze to Hanzo, and his eyes were so icy he had frozen Hanzo to his seat. “Going with you into that clearing was a mistake. I should’ve left you there and then.”

“Jesse, wait-” But the man had already slammed the door, and Hanzo was left with half-eaten pancakes and a miserable mess of a situation. He didn’t feel so hungry anymore, and it felt like there was a stone in his chest, sinking downwards.

* * *

 

The next night and day was spent curled up in blankets, with Hanzo doing nothing but ruminating on his choices. A downwards spiral of thoughts, of how he had made a mistake, barely eating or sleeping.

“Athena.” He mumbled. “What happens now?”

_ “That is at your discretion.” _

“Yeah, but why did I do it? Why did I ask him to go with me? Why did you have to apply that stupid penalty?”

_ “Everything happens for a rea-” _

“Enough with your reasons!” Hanzo looked through the window to where he could see the mountain, his eyes red and puffy from hours of crying. “Sometimes I wish I could climb the fence and throw myself into the wilderness.”

_ “That is not necessary, and attempts to escape will result in banishment.” _

Another dejected sigh. “Fine. I’ll stay here.” 

The sun soon set, and turned to evening, and Hanzo drifted off into empty sleep, his mind nothing but a hollow husk. He had been so happy to be with Jesse once more, to be in his arms as they slept, and now they had been torn apart. And it was all his fault.

In the morning, Hanzo looked once more at his tablet. There were twelve more hours left, and Hanzo mindlessly wandered to the kitchen. There was a knock on his door, though, and he stopped to answer it.

Jesse was back, this time with a bouquet of flowers in his hand (but Hanzo could tell he just picked them out of a field). “Hanzo.”

“Jesse, you’re back.” Hanzo rushed forwards and hugged Jesse, never wanting to let go. “You’re back...but why?”

“I couldn’t bear the thought of you bein’ all torn up about the whole thing. I’m sorry about explodin’ at ya, it’s just I didn’t want to lose everything.” Jesse kissed Hanzo on the cheek. “I’ll make it up, anything you want.”

“Let’s just go back. The very first restaurant, and...if we’re lucky, maybe we’ll be paired up again.” Hanzo wiped the tears from his eyes. “I just want to be with you.”

* * *

 

When it was evening, Hanzo and Jesse returned to the restaurant, and as they walked through, they smiled at each other, despite knowing it was their last night. But Hanzo suddenly bumped into someone.

“Ah, sorry, I- wait, Satya?” 

“Sombra?!” Hanzo looked at Jesse, whose eyes were wide. “You actually turned up to a date?”

The two woman seemed to be paired together, and quite content at that. “Of course we were.” Sombra rolled her eyes, waving the two men off. “And next time?  _ Remember _ where you’re going.” She put an odd emphasis on ‘remember’.

“That was odd.” Jesse remarked, before they sat in the usual booth. The waiter set down a plate each - salmon for Hanzo and steak for Jesse. The two men began eating, content at how much of a callback the date was so far.

“This is a nice meal, just like I remembered.” Hanzo continued eating his salmon, before he paused, eyes wide.

Jesse had just dug into his steak when he saw Hanzo’s state of mine. “Hanzo? Everything going okay?”

“Why don’t I remember?” Hanzo asked. “Jesse, do you remember anything before the first time we met?”

Jesse shook his head. “That’s odd…”

“And when we met, how did you feel?”

“Like it was bound to happen, I felt complete, jest like it happened…”

“Over and over, and it’ll keep on happening.” Hanzo gestured around the restaurant. “This whole thing is a test! That’s why Sombra told us to remember!”

Jesse seemed to understand. “So, what do we do? Do we just wait?”

Hanzo nodded, looking at the timer. “We eat, and then we find out what happens when we disobey.”

They finished their meal, and when they looked at the timer, there was only one minute left.

“Are you ready? We’ll leave this. We’ll climb the fence, climb the mountain.” Jesse asked once he had finished his steak.

“Of course.” Hanzo was nervous, fidgeting with his fork. Jesse’s eyes softened, and he kissed his lover. The timer counted down to zero, and the couple could feel everyone’s eyes on them. A guard walked over, taking out the taser and aiming it at the two.

Jesse and Hanzo stood up, and for a second, time was still, before Hanzo held his arm out, and so did Jesse. And they pushed their fingers through the prongs, and where shocking should have happened, the weapon merely fizzled out.

Hanzo pushed the taser away, and everything froze. Nothing moved, not even an inch. Even a bartender off to the side was entirely frozen, including the wine he poured. 

“Let’s go.” And the two ran off, through the crossroads, past frozen couples and escalators, down the roads that were barely illuminated by the spotlights on the ground. Still they ran, until they came to the border fence, where they found a hole to climb through. They proceeded past trees and bushes, until they came to the mountain, and suddenly Hanzo slammed right into something. 

“You okay?” Jesse touched exactly what Hanzo had bumped into - where there should have been thin air and a mountain, Hanzo had ran into a wall. “Wait, if this is a wall, then...the whole thing is-”

“Fake.” Hanzo finished as he got up. “There has to be an exit.”

Following the wall, they came across a tunnel built into the mountain, with a green exit sign gleaming in the darkness.

As the two walked through, they started seeing glimpses of people they knew, people they didn’t but still remembered something about.

Ashe was there, but she momentarily flickered in and out of existence. “You two be good to each other now. If yer not good, Hanzo, I’ll make Bob do something you’ll regret.”

“Ugh, about time you dorks got together!” A young girl...Hana Song? How did they know her name? No wait, she was a famous streamer, wasn’t she? She flickered out of a plugsuit, a school uniform, a blouse, a police uniform. She was accompanied by a large omnic with green tusks, as well as a girl with brown headphones. “And Efi agrees too, don’t you?”

“Yup!” Efi waved them off, flickering through various clothes, like she was glitching. “Have fun!” The accompanying omnic - no, her name was Orisa! Orisa waved with her.

There was a man both knew was Jean-Baptiste, who flickered out of a yellow uniform, to blue armor with an orange scarf, to who knows what else. “Thanks for saving me back on Tortuga.” He smiled. “I knew you two would be a good match.”

“What’s a Tortuga?” Jesse asked, but Baptiste shook his head, waving them along.

“Never mind that!”

Next was a boxy omnic - Bastion - along with Torbjorn and his daughter, Brigitte. Torbjorn sniffed, while Brigitte and Bastion attempted to comfort him.

“I never thought I’d see the day! Oh, Jesse, it’s like Brigitte got with Hana all over again!”

“Brigitte’s with Hana?” Hanzo asked.

“Hanzo, you can just call me Brig, everyone does.” The young girl waved them along. “Come on, there’s still more people.”

As they disappeared, Bastion whistled something enthusiastic. Neither of them understood, Bastion could just be saying “tax returns” for all they knew.

Next were four people - Junkrat and Roadhog - no, Jamie? Jamison? Mako? - accompanied by Mei and Satya.

“Brings a tear to me eye!” Junkrat rushed forward to hug Hanzo and Jesse, but he merely passed through. “Ah, forget about it. We’ll see you on the other side.”

“Wait...which one are you dating?” Hanzo looked between Roadhog, Mei, Satya. “Didn’t I see you with Rein at one point? And who is Reinhardt? Why do I know your names?”

“Hanzo.” Satya spoke. “There are things here beyond your comprehension. It will all make sense when you see him.”

“We can’t speak for long.” Mei ushered them. “But uh...for the record, Jamison’s a bit of a player…”

Mako placed a hand on Hanzo and Jesse’s shoulders. “Go get ‘em.”

There were so many people they knew, but why? From when did they come?

After was Lena, Lucio and...Widowmaker? No, her name was Amelie?

“Man, why are you so angry to see us?” Lucio asked. “You should be happy!” 

“Lena, I...why do I need to ask you if you’re okay?” Jesse looked at Amelie as well. “And wasn’t your skin…”

“Huh? Oh, don’t worry ‘bout lil’ old me! Nothing but, y’know, time traveling powers, par for the course.” The shorter woman shrugged off all of Jesse’s concerns. 

“Hm, about time you’ve got together.” Amelie waved them off. “ _ Allez-vous. _ There’s more.”

There was Zenyatta - the floating omnic. “Peace be upon you.” He waved. “It is good to see the two of you finally uniting.” 

“I feel like...there should be someone with you.” Hanzo couldn’t think of any names, any relationships. “Zenyatta, what’s going on? Why can’t I remember, I-”

Zenyatta held a finger up. “All will be answered in due time.”

The two proceeded forth, where they saw Moira and Angela. They flickered, too - a lab coat, a blue uniform on Moira, Angela’s hair becoming more disheveled and then organizing it back into a ponytail. 

“Our courageous cowboy, finally with a lover.” Moira was still satisfied and smug as ever. “Took you long enough.”

“Sometimes I’m not sure why I even bother, but in the end...it was worth it, wasn’t it?” Angela nodded at them, and they hurried along.

After was Zarya, Sombra and Fareeha. Jesse looked delighted to see Sombra and Fareeha, while Zarya hugged Hanzo.

“You have no idea the strings we had to pull to get you  _ laid _ , Jesse.” Fareeha poked Jesse’s cheek. 

“Hey! Listen, I don’t know what’s going on!”

“Don’t worry!” Zarya stood tall, confidently posing. “Once he explains it, everything will become clear! And then, we celebrate!”

“Who’s he, wha-”

Sombra pushed them along. “Hurry up! We can only go through so much cryptic hints and thinly veiled exposition before the writer runs out of ideas!”

And then there was Doomfist, Winston and Akande. Winston was holding Hammond in his hands.

“Ah, my friends! You have finally arrived, Jesse, I’m so proud of you! And Hanzo, you are certainly a good match!” Reinhardt tried to hug them, but seemed dejected from how intangible he was.

“You have many tricks up your sleeve. Don’t waste this opportunity, you two.” Akande settled for a short nod.

“...You’re a gorilla?” Jesse asked Winston.

“Well, it was fun being human and all, but after...I think I’d prefer being a superintelligent moon gorilla addicted to peanut butter.”

“I think you just invented a new sentence.” Hanzo remarked, before petting Hammond. “And him?”

“Oh no, he’s staying a murderous hamster, isn’t that right?” Hammond only offered angry hamster chirps, before waving at Jesse and Hanzo with a few more noises that could only be deciphered as excited advice. 

The final four were Liao, Ana, Jack and Gabe. 

“Jesse. Hanzo. I’m so proud of both of you.” Ana hugged them, and even if her arms went through they could still feel the pride. “You’ve finally finished.”

“What’s going on? Dad?” Jesse looked up at Gabe and Jack. “No, wait, you’re not my dad-”

Gabe pressed a hand to Jesse’s forehead, or as close as he could manage. “Don’t sweat it. Jesse, there’s going to be a lot of changes out there when you escape. Don’t be afraid, you’ll be like a son to me either way. It’s a given.” He took out a hat - one a bit torn and scruffy, with a few bullet casings on top. “And you might want this, too.”

Jack turned to Hanzo. “You two be good to each other, otherwise…” He put two fingers to his eyes, and to the couple. “I’ll have you in my sights.”

“Now go.” Liao gestured to the exit door. “You’ve traveled long and far enough, and it’s time for some closure. It’s time to meet him.”

“Who is ‘him’, why can’t you just say his name-” Hanzo was interrupted by Liao’s shushing.

“I did  _ not _ spend an hour rehearsing this just for you to question me!” Liao pushed the two towards the door. “Hurry up.”

And so Jesse and Hanzo opened the door, and everything began fragmenting, fading, obliterating, disappearing, falling…

* * *

Hanzo and Jesse walked into a virtual void, a nothingness of dark blue with nothing but a floor. But as they proceeded through, they could see copies of themselves, but they looked different. Dressed in uniforms, or modern street clothes, or looking like gods.

“Where are we?”

“Yo. It’s me, Genji. Remember, your little brother or best friend?” In front of them was Genji, no longer with the cybernetic faceplate. Now he settled for more casual clothes - a beanie sat on his head, and the black shirt and jeans barely covered up the green glowing lights underneath.

Looking around, they could see a copy of Genji for every Hanzo and Jesse there was. “Sit down, sit down.” In front of them, a loveseat appeared, and an armchair across a coffee table for Genji. “Tea?”

Both of them shook their heads.

“Suit yourself.” Suddenly, Genji had a teapot and one tea cup resting on the coffee table.

“You tried making tea for me once.” Hanzo pointed out. “And you confused salt for sugar.”

Genji made an aggravated noise, frustrated at the memory. “Hanzo!” He set down his teacup, folding his hands. “Whatever, I suppose you’re wondering why you’re here.”

Jesse snorted. “That’s an understatement.”

“I’m going to make this really short.” Genji took a deep breath, his hands folded together and eyes closed, before he finally opened them. “I copied your memories and consciousnesses so I could simulate a thousand universes in this virtual reality and see if you could be a good pair together.”

They were silent, and Hanzo’s jaw was wide open. “You did  _ what. _ ”

“I simulated a thousand alternate universes of you!” Genji gestured wildly at the many Jesses and Hanzos around him. “Like there’s one where you’re a hot CEO, and one where both of you are zombie apocalypse survivors, and one where you two are library people, and this one time I got really bored and simulated the actual canon universe, but with a few twists-”

“We know what that means!” Jesse interrupted, before looking around. “But...why? And why can’t I remember specifics, why do I know all this? Who are we, Genji?”

Genji created a holovid screen with his hands, showing it to Jesse and Hanzo. “Okay, originally, Jesse McCree was a member of a gang called the Deadlock Crew, before he was caught by a military commander named Gabriel Reyes. Gabriel Reyes gave Jesse an ultimatum - either go to jail, or train under him as an agent of a global peacekeeping organization called Overwatch. But Overwatch shut down, so Jesse became a bounty hunter of the American Southwest.”

“Sounds about right.” Jesse looked at his hat. “And Hanzo?”

“Hanzo Shimada was born into the Shimada-gumi, where he was raised to be the leader. The elders pressured him into murdering his totally handsome, hot, intelligent-”

“ _ Genji.” _ Hanzo growled.

“Fine. Hanzo was pressured into murdering his little brother Genji, but he failed and Genji was turned into a cyborg by Overwatch, and Genji returned to recruit his brother into Overwatch, because surprise! It’s starting back up again. And you two hate each other.”

“We  _ what _ ?!” Jesse was incredulous, eyes wide. “S-so you’re telling me-”

“Yeah, I proved my point, so what? The Big Bang project was a success! Out of a thousand alternate, different universes, you went against the odds every single time! In every universe, despite the world telling you no, you still managed to find a way to be together.” Genji had stood up now, happy at his progress.

“Big...Bang?” Hanzo asked, a look of disbelief on his face. “That’s a terrible name.”

Genji sputtered through his lips and flipped his middle finger at Hanzo, before collapsing back into the armchair. “Whatever, but you can’t deny that you’re a great couple.”

Jesse and Hanzo looked at each other, then shook their heads. “I guess we can’t, but I still feel...wait, why would I hate Jesse? And why would Jesse hate me?”

“Long story short, Jesse hates you because he killed me, and also because Hanzo was too much of a straight arrow for you. You hate Jesse because he’s too much of a freeloader, he thinks you deserve redemption and he’s the kind of person who does nothing during a group project.”

“Hey, I do-”

Genji smirked at Jesse, only saying one thing. “2069 ™ .”

Jesse immediately stayed silent. “What happened in 2069 ™ ?” Hanzo asked, visibly confused and troubled.

  
“We don’t talk about 2069 ™ . Anyways, there you have it. I, Genji Shimada, managed to rally not only the entirety of Overwatch, but also the majority of Talon’s head council, into matchmaking you two because we thought you were a good match.”

“But this is our emotions! You can’t force us to love one another if we hate each other already!” Hanzo protested. “What is your next step now?”

Genji brought up a holoscreen, with a button on it. “I’ll erase your memories of each other. Say you had an accident during your last mission.”

“Wait, what?” Jesse looked down at his body, patting it down to make sure it was real. “So our minds really are plugged into this thing, then, or are we still copies?”

“Oh no, you two are still copies. Today, we had you knocked out with the help of Ana’s sleep darts, and as we speak, we’re plugging you into the system to fix this once and for all.” Genji tapped into something in his ear. “Angela. Are the two ready?”

After a moment’s debilitation, he nodded. “Thank you. I’ll see you then.” He looked to Jesse and Hanzo. “So, you’re okay with this, right? You’ll forget everything, and start anew.”

Jesse and Hanzo held hands, and they met eyes. It was a solemn moment of silence, a wordless conversation, before the ultimatum was reached and they nodded at each other. “We’re ready.” Jesse first said, and Hanzo made a hum of agreement.

“Commencing memory erasure. Winston, make sure the backup generators are in place.”

And an array of panels displaying all of Hanzo’s memories surrounded them, and Genji tapped each one with any mention of Jesse in it, until all traces of Jesse had been erased. He did the same with Jesse’s, erasing all the memories of Hanzo, even from back in the Blackwatch days.

“Now, we’re going to put you back where you belong, in the real world.” Genji snapped, and suddenly all the Hanzos and Jesses and other Genjis began fading away. 

The lights slowly faded. Exit stage left, and bow to the audience.

* * *

“Hanzo? Hanzoooo…”

“Ngh...Genji?” Hanzo opened his eyes to see the cyborg above him. “What happened? My head hurts…”

There was a man with dark skin and a goatee - Baptiste, if Hanzo was correct - who handed him a cup of water, and Hanzo quickly drank it. “Thank you.” The archer breathed, before clearing his throat. “Genji, how long was I out?”

“Oh, there was an accident during the mission in Ayutthaya. Nothing wrong with your body, but there was a malfunction with the memory cloud. It’s been about… a day or so. Once Angela clears you, you should be-”

“Actually,” The medic across from them corrected. “He should be ready to go.”

“Oh, really? Cool, we should probably get you up and ready then. Some of your memories might be gone, but I’m sure they’ll come to you.”

And so, Hanzo was quickly ushered out of bed, leaving the medic alone. Sighing, he pat himself on the back. “Thank you, Baptiste! Oh, you’re welcome!” He smiled to himself. 

“You’re probably hungry, right? Let’s get you to the dining hall.” Genji guided Hanzo to the large room, and out of the corner Hanzo saw him. Someone strange, a cowboy with a red serape and a ridiculous belt marked “BAMF”, topped with a hat.

Slowly, he broke from Genji’s grip, and walked towards him. “Hello.” He greeted. This was strange. All the other agents he passed in the hallway, he could remember - Reinhardt, Pharah, Ana, Symmetra - but here was a blank space, presumably from his faulty memories.

The cowboy turned around. “Hm? Oh, howdy. I don’t think we’ve met.”

“No, we haven’t. My name is Hanzo Shimada.” Something about this mysterious stranger was oddly alluring - even if this man stunk of bourbon, whiskey and tobacco, the scent felt oddly comforting. He was a mess, while Hanzo was more of an orderly discipline.

“The name’s Jesse McCree.” Jesse tipped his hat. “Y’know, I’ve been on base for about a few months. You?”

“Only about three weeks.” 

“Huh.” The gunslinger stared off into the distance, deep in thought. “Kinda strange how how we just randomly meet at the mess hall instead of, well, a thousand different ways to see you.”

Behind them, Genji smirked, having snuck away.

“I...want to get to know you better.” Hanzo offered his hand. “Would you like to eat lunch with me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once he was alone, Genji turned his head until he was facing you, the viewer. “Now, I bet you’re really in shock, aren’t you? Think of the implications of what I have done. The entire Big Bang? That’s me, simulating a thousand universes to prove a point.”
> 
> “Now, you’re probably thinking, ‘O, handsome, hot Genji! How could you do something so invalidating?’ Hah, simple. Because I’m a little shit. From now on, every McHanzo fic you read? Every piece of art? Every comic, every text post you imagine, every voice-acted compilation you watch? That’s me, you know. Just another alternate universe. I’ve invalidated the entire pairing of McHanzo and chalked it down to nothing but Hanzo’s little brother invading his love life. But don’t fret. I may be a puppet of the author writing this, but I didn’t invalidate everything. Fictional or not, Jesse and Hanzo? You believe they are a good pairing together, and I do too. Isn’t that why this was written in the first place? So, even if they hate each other at first...I’ll make sure that they recognize that doesn’t have to be the way things are.”
> 
> "Also, check out this awesome art that MuchyMozzarella made for this fic!" Genji gestures to the next sentence. "Click on [ these underlined words ](https://muchymozzarella.tumblr.com/post/184000794714/art-for-one-thousand-ways-to-see-you-by) to see it!"


End file.
